New apartments make neighbors nervous, but here’s why this Hemphill plan makes sense

If you want to rile up a neighborhood, one word is guaranteed to do the trick: apartments.

That’s true of the latest fight over redevelopment in the Hemphill area. Fort Worth zoning commissioners unanimously voted this month to recommend approval of a zoning change for new housing on an 11.3-acre undeveloped lot at West Biddison Street and South Jennings Avenue.

The proposal for Tobias Place calls for 291 units priced as “workforce housing,” meaning attainable for low-income working families. It’s the kind of construction that Fort Worth needs in core-city areas that need investment, particularly in housing. The City Council, which may take up the zoning change within the next couple weeks, should approve it.

The lot is near the boundaries of several neighborhoods. Its proximity to Hemphill Street has businesses in the area concerned about the development’s effect on traffic and property values. More broadly, many are worried that Hemphill is destined to be the next Magnolia or West 7th, displacing longtime businesses and residents, many of them Hispanic.

All these concerns are valid, but they need not derail this project.

A growing Fort Worth must have more housing options, particularly those that are broadly affordable. Home prices are high — and that’s if you can even buy a house in an incredibly tight, competitive market. There’s pressure, too, on rent rates, and low-paid hourly workers face the most difficult situations.

“Workforce housing is desperately needed,” said City Council member Elizabeth Beck, whose district includes the neighborhood. “I’m excited to see developers are coming in and wanting to build projects like that.”

The Tobias Place site is a chance to add the kind of housing needed without causing huge disruptions. The lot is vacant, so no businesses or residents will be displaced, said Daniel Smith, vice president of investments for developer Ojala Partners LP. The apartment complex won’t be adjacent to single-family housing, a common concern for homeowners worried about traffic and noise.

Some Hemphill businesses fear that more housing in the area will have a ripple effect, particularly on their property taxes. It’s difficult to redevelop without some side effects, and city officials should consider all options to help small businesses in the area keep going.

Ojala Partners has worked to improve the project. The company consulted with the Worth Heights Neighborhood Association and agreed to a deed restriction to limit the area’s density. Buildings will be no taller than three stories. The company heard neighborhood concerns about the complex’s look fitting the history of Worth Heights, Smith said, and the company is looking at adding green space nearby at neighbors’ request.

Even the complex’s name derives from residents’ feedback. It honors Cirildo “Toby” Tobias, a longtime city employee known for his service to the Worth Heights area, especially those he coached in youth sports.

Smith pledged to continue to listen to community concerns. “Once we get our zoning, we’re not going away,” he said. “We’re planning on taking initial sets of drawings, going back to the Worth Heights Neighborhood Association” and other groups for their input on the design.

The site is owned by XTO Energy but was never used for gas drilling. But it may still require environmental attention from past uses, Smith said. If that’s not major work, ground could break on the project in early 2023, and it could be finished by the middle of 2024.

The larger concern about gentrification driving out residents is always worth monitoring. But “this type of development is the type that provides some revitalization to the area but doesn’t gentrify the community,” Beck said.

Neighborhood vigilance about development is appropriate and understandable. But not every project is a gateway to gentrification or ruin for current residents and businesses.

Tobias Place is one that fills a need and improves the area.

This story was originally published September 17, 2021 at 2:03 PM.