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Downtown viewed over the Paddock Viaduct, also known as the Main Street Viaduct, that traverses the West Fork of the Trinity River north of downtown Fort Worth. (Rodger Mallison | Fort Worth Report)
” data-medium-file=”https://fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DJI_0604-1-scaled-1.jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DJI_0604-1-scaled-1.jpg?fit=780%2C519&ssl=1″ tabindex=”0″ role=”button”>As progress on the Central City / Panther Island flood control project advances, Fort Worth officials are implementing new measures to ensure that development around the project preserves historic neighborhoods like Northside while promoting economic equity. Key among those measures is an Urban Land Institute panel of eight national real estate development experts who are scheduled to visit Fort Worth from Sept. 15-20. The panel will tour the Panther Island area, interview stakeholders and analyze data to produce a report of recommendations to city officials. The effort is part of a $230,000 initiative launched earlier this year to ensure equitable development in the predominantly Latino neighborhoods of Northside and Historic Marine, Assistant City Manager Fernando Costa told City Council members at a Sept. 10 work session meeting.    “The Northside is well known as a gateway into Fort Worth for many immigrant families, going back to the early days of Fort Worth,” Costa said. “It remains a gateway today. It’s a focal point for Latino culture in Fort Worth, and this effort aims at preserving that culture, even as we accommodate the kind of growth associated with Panther Island.”The yearslong Panther Island project is expected to redevelop hundreds of acres between downtown and Northside alongside the $1.16 billion flood control project that will reroute part of the Trinity River. An influx of federal funding in early 2022 has reinvigorated community concerns about gentrification and higher property values pushing longtime homeowners out of the area. Henry Cisneros, the former San Antonio mayor who advocated for public housing improvements as the secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in the 1990s, will serve as one of the experts on the Urban Land Institute’s panel next week. Cisneros, 77, is currently chairman of ESTAR West, a San Antonio project that promotes economic development while maintaining neighborhood stability.Henry Cisneros, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and former mayor of San Antonio, will be a panelist on Fort Worth Northside economic development. (Courtesy photo | Wikipedia) Since 1948, the Urban Land Institute has provided advisory service panels to local nonprofit organizations, public agencies and others. Organizers, including the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said the workshop will address housing affordability, displacement and the preservation of Northside’s unique historical character. The Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is holding public listening sessions to get community feedback on the matter. Sessions are planned for:5:30 p.m. Sept. 12 at Casa Azul Coffee, 300 W. Central Ave.

11 a.m. Sept. 13 via Zoom 

10 a.m. Sept. 14 at Portico Coffee, 2503 Roosevelt Ave.Anette Landeros, president and CEO of the chamber, said residents are concerned about how development will affect them. She and the chamber have led a revitalization effort for Historic Northside in partnership with the national Main Street America program, which aims to help bolster communities that have been disinvested over time. That program has “highlighted significant community concerns regarding potential displacement due to increasing development pressures,” Landeros said. “In response to these concerns, we are engaging ULI’s expert panel to explore innovative solutions that will preserve the distinctive character of the Northside while ensuring inclusive development on Panther Island. We believe that combining ULI’s expertise in local insights will foster a development approach that respects and integrates the historic neighborhoods.”Anette Landeros, president and CEO of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, poses for a photo in August 2021. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)Following the workshop, the institute will present its findings and recommendations to the public at 8 a.m. Sept. 20 at Artes de la Rosa at the Rose Marine Theater, 1440 N. Main St.Alongside those efforts, the city of Fort Worth is conducting a comprehensive update of development standards and guidelines for Panther Island. Justin Newhart, Fort Worth’s historic preservation officer, told City Council members at the Sept. 10 meeting that updates to the Panther Island Form-Based Code District’s development standards are meant to incorporate recommendations from the island’s new economic development roadmap released in March. “That regulates the construction of future streets and pathways throughout the island,” Newhart said. “So, as part of the code update, we’re going to look at that component … to make sure: do we have enough access, do we have enough streets in the right places, do we have enough pedestrian pathways throughout the island to make sure all of the sites that are available for development have access to the grid?” The city has commissioned Livable Plans and Codes LLC as the consultant to lead the update, according to council documents. Newhart said the city plans to engage with community members and other stakeholders to solicit input on the development updates over the next five to six months. Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org or @bycecilialenzen. Eric E. Garcia is a senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org.  At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.