Skyscrapers on Panther Island? Fort Worth considers changes to its zoning rules
Skyscrapers could start popping up on Panther Island.
The city is considering a change to its zoning rules that would increase the maximum building height from around five stories to 20 for a section of the island around North Main Street.
The change would apply to the area bounded by Northwest Seventh Street to the north, North Houston Street to the west, the Encore Panther Island canal to the south, and North Commerce Street to the east.
The change is being recommended now because the area can be developed without needing to beef up the island’s infrastructure, said Justin Newhart of the city’s development services department at a zoning commission work session on Wednesday.
Taller buildings would allow for the dense development needed to support a future bus or train system that could connect the island to downtown and the Stockyards, he said.
The City Council is scheduled to get an informal report on the proposal April 2 with a vote on the change coming as early as April 23, according Newhart’s presentation.
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Other changes to the zoning rules are further off but a recent report from Dallas consultants HR&A Advisors recommended the city loosen its height restrictions to give developers more flexibility.
The report recommended allowing more one and two story buildings to attract shops, restaurants and music and art venues.
The consultants also suggest a step-down approach, so tall towers aren’t built next to single family neighborhoods in the north side and Marine Park neighborhoods.
The report recommended capping building height at 325 feet, the same height of the future city hall at the former Pier 1 building.
This cap along with the fact that Panther Island is 100 feet below the Trinity River bluff will prevent the development from becoming a second downtown and blocking the views of the nearby skyscrapers.
About Panther Island
Panther Island will be created when the Army Corps of Engineers builds a 1.5-mile bypass channel connecting two sections of the Trinity River north of downtown. The plan is to provide flood control and update the aging levee system. The resulting island will create 338 acres of prime real estate.
Staff writer Jaime Moore-Carrillo contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 13, 2024 at 3:02 PM.
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