More apartments coming to Fort Worth’s West 7th after developer addresses traffic concerns

The Fort Worth City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a plan to build two new apartment buildings at Montgomery Plaza.

A five-story building will contain 315 units, and a seven-story building is set to hold 280 units, according to plans. The buildings will replace retailers Five Below, Office Depot, PetSmart, Dollar Tree and Michael’s. The new apartment complex is expected to have 20,000 square feet of retail.

Kimco Realty, which owns the Montgomery Plaza shopping complex, had been seeking approval since July. But the plan ran into opposition from residents who feared traffic would worsen in the already congested West 7th District. More than 1,000 residential units are within walking distance of Montgomery Plaza, which features a 240-unit condominium in the former Montgomery Ward department store.

A scheduled vote in November was postponed until Tuesday to give the sides more time to discuss the project. Council member Elizabeth Beck, whose district includes West 7th, said at the time she wanted to make sure the neighborhood would get what it wants.

There were no objectors at Tuesday’s meeting.

The new deal requires Kimco to work with the city to extend Adolph Street to allow additional entrance and exit routes. The deal also calls for 1.3 acres for open space and a dog park.

Beck commended the hard work of all involved to reach an agreement.

She said she wouldn’t have supported the plan if the developer hadn’t agreed to work with the city to improve traffic flow.

Chris Hermann, Kimco’s development director, said he appreciated that the Zoning Department and the council approved the plan unanimously.