Fort Worth gives Texas A&M a parking lot site for new downtown campus
The city of Fort Worth has agreed to provide Texas A&M University with free land for a parking lot near the school’s new downtown campus, which is under construction.
The university is working to acquire a property at East Lancaster Avenue and Calhoun Street for its Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts Building, according to the city. The property under consideration is owned by the Texas Department of Transportation.
The roughly half-acre parcel of land for the parking lot is adjacent to that site. It’s expected that the lot will primarily serve fine arts students, faculty, staff and visitors. TxDOT originally owned that property, too, but gave it to Fort Worth at no charge as part of a land exchange.
According to the city, if the agreement is executed, Texas A&M will use the land for “a small, well-screened surface parking lot.” The university would have five years from the time it takes ownership of the property to begin construction. Another stipulation is that the site “must always be used for a public purpose related to higher education.”
Based on the most recent renderings, A&M could have as many as five buildings at its downtown Fort Worth campus once the project is complete. That full expansion plan, however, is pending approval by the university’s board of regents.
Along with the aforementioned fine arts complex, there would be the Law and Education Building, two Research and Innovation Buildings and what the university is calling its “Gateway Building” to serve as an entry point for the campus.
Ground broke on the $180 million Law and Education Building in June 2023. It is scheduled to open in summer 2026. A&M hasn’t provided a timeline for the other proposed buildings.