On Tuesday, March 5, the development team from Dallas-based HR&A Advisors and San Antonio-based architecture firm Lake | Flato presented an updated vision for the Panther Island Project to both the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) and Fort Worth City Council.
Vision 2.0 — a framework for moving forward, not a final design for implementation — builds on the previous design and incorporates feedback from six public meetings, seven steering committee meetings, and 110 survey responses.
Let’s back up a little. The $403 million City Center Flood Control Project has been in the works for over 20 years. Take a peek at the project’s timeline + keep reading for the development team’s recommendations.
Guiding principles
The framework includes six priorities that can be used as guiding lights for future phases of design.
- One-of-a-kind waterfront experience
- Haven of diverse parks + green spaces
- Mixed-use neighborhood designed to build community
- Destination that connects and complements the surrounding region
- Celebration of Fort Worth’s diverse communities and heritage
- Economic driver sustaining the city’s rapid growth
Vision 2.0 outlined a series of networks that would connect residents both internally within the island and externally to the rest of the city. | Image courtesy of HR&A Advisors + Lake | Flato
Vision 2.0 outlined a series of networks that would connect residents both internally within the island and externally to the rest of the city. | Image courtesy of HR&A Advisors + Lake | Flato
Vision 2.0 outlined a series of networks that would connect residents both internally within the island and externally to the rest of the city. | Image courtesy of HR&A Advisors + Lake | Flato
Vision 2.0 outlined a series of networks that would connect residents both internally within the island and externally to the rest of the city. | Image courtesy of HR&A Advisors + Lake | Flato
Vision 2.0 outlined a series of networks that would connect residents both internally within the island and externally to the rest of the city. | Image courtesy of HR&A Advisors + Lake | Flato
Key features
The project includes the potential for 193 acres of development across both public and private land. The team overlaid a plan for:
- A distributed Open Space Network that provides opportunity for phased construction
- Publicly accessible waterfront conditions that allow residents and visitors to engage with the Trinity River
- Overlapping circulation networks for vehicles, public transit, bikes, and pedestrians
Real estate recommendations
The team outlined potential real estate development including residential, commercial, restaurant, retail, education and cultural spaces.
They recommended expanding the area’s Form-Based Code requirements that would allow new buildings to be one or two stories on the north side of Panther Island near surrounding neighborhoods and up to 24 stories on the south side next to downtown. Changing the allowable building heights would allow Panther Island to be “cognizant of the neighbors.”
The team also evaluated potential re-use options for the existing TXU power plant and LaGrave Field, suggesting the renovation and adaptation of the power plant and the redevelopment of the abandoned baseball field.
Multi-decade phasing
Rome wasn’t built in a day — nor will Panther Island be. HR&A divided the area into four zones to be developed in phases.
Zone 1, which lies in the center of the island within the levee system, could be tackled relatively soon by creating the first four corners of the development at North Main and Fourth streets.
Zones 2 through 4 build out from the center toward the waterline and are dependent on the completion of the bypass channels.
Governance formalization
Due to the size of the project — not to mention the layers of funding from both public and private entities — the team recommended the city and TRWD formalize an interlocal agreement. They also suggested the establishment of an independent entity to oversee the project and the creation of a Public Improvement District.
