Food trucks, vendors are one step closer to returning to this Fort Worth space
The Fort Worth Zoning Commission has approved a permit to allow for food trucks, merchandise vendors and other activities on a lot in south Fort Worth being developed as a community gathering space.
The Fork Yard by The Morningside Project is at 2529 Hemphill St. at the corner of West Morningside Drive, in the Jennings-May St. Louis neighborhood. The Zoning Commission voted 11-0 to approve a permit to allow use of the one-acre lot for mobile food vendors, merchandise vendors, and outdoor entertainment. The permit must still go before the City Council for approval, as well.
Angie Blochowicz, president of the Jennings-May St. Louis Neighborhood Association, and others from the Hemphill Corridor Development Collaborative created the space as an outdoor, community oriented food court and marketplace that will be a social setting near residents’ homes. Blochowicz says the property will be used to revitalize the area through pop-up events, community gatherings and services to educate and inform residents.
“This venture is my love letter to the community,” Blochowicz told the Zoning Commission. “I am not a large corporation. This is simply myself and a couple neighbors who volunteer their time to bring something exceptional to our end of the corridor.”
The property will be a flexible space that they can use based on community needs, Blochowicz said. Parking overflow has been added at 516 and 520 W. Mulkey St. to help with traffic.
The next step is to build more community support from the surrounding businesses and neighborhood associations, Blochowicz said. The zoning case is scheduled to go to the City Council on Feb. 14 for approval.
The location is where a developer in 2023 unsuccessfully tried to build town homes, followed by an attempt to rezone it for a used-car lot.
After those efforts failed, neighborhood leaders met with the property owner to explore other ideas for community uses of the corner. The area is a dead spot between the commercial hubs of La Gran Plaza and West Magnolia Avenue, with few food options, Blochowicz said.
Blochowicz received a certificate of occupancy in May and began renovating a small building on the corner. The Morningside Project serves as a co-working space for meetings or an event space for small workshops. The parking lot became The Fork Yard for vendors, food trucks and outdoor events.
By August, the space hosted frequent events for the community. The lights and a constant community presence helped prevent trespassing on the property or in nearby alleyways, Blochowicz said.
But in September, the city issued a code violation and said the group had to apply for a permit for mobile food vendors, tent vendors, picnic tables and temporary lights.
Everything has been put on pause until the zoning measure has been approved.
