Groups hope to preserve Fort Worth neighborhoods in wake of Panther Island development
The Fort Worth City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to contribute $37,500 to a Hispanic Chamber-led study of development on Panther Island.
The money is part of a $230,000 study looking at ways to preserve neighborhoods while limiting displacement in neighborhoods surrounding the planned 338-acre man-made island north of downtown.
Other funders include the Amon G. Carter Foundation, the North Texas Community Foundation and the urban planning nonprofit Urban Land Institute’s national and Fort Worth district branches.
In surveying residents about what kinds of business development they want to see, the conversations eventually work their way back to housing affordability, Hispanic Chamber President Annette Landeros told the City Council Tuesday.
It’s hard to ask what people want to see in 20 years when they’re not sure they’ll be able to live there, she said.
The study will look at development on the island along with the Historic Marine and north side neighborhoods directly to the north. Residents in those areas have expressed concern that rising property values will force out longtime residents and change the character of their neighborhoods.
The chamber is also contracting with the community engagement firm DEI Consultants headed up by Lake Como resident and community leader Estrus Tucker. The team will hold a series of meetings between June and September to hear from residents about what they’d like to see from future development.
“Fort Worth cares about preserving the north side,” said Mayor Mattie Parker. “That is very important to me.”
The study is expected to wrap up by the end of the year and issue a report in December. Landeros acknowledged it’s a tight timeline, but argued time is of the essence as real estate speculation is already underway on the island.
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