What will Fort Worth’s Panther Island look like? Here’s what we know about new district
March 15,2024
See full Fort Worth Star-Telegram article by Harrison Mantas here.
Imagine a district built for people instead of cars.
Parks, basketball courts and soccer fields linked by canals and tree-lined paths. Nearby a lake welcomes kayakers and families in paddle boats. Couples dine at riverside restaurants and shop in locally owned stores.
That is the vision for Panther Island, a once-in-a-generation redevelopment opportunity that could lead to huge benefits for Fort Worth while connecting major hubs throughout the city, according to consultants HR&A Advisors of Dallas.
Their report, unveiled March 12, outlined what Panther Island should look like and what should go where, based on previous plans, meetings with government and business organizations, and a series of community meetings in September.
PARKS
Anywhere you stand on the future Panther Island should be five minutes walking distance from a park. The consultants recommend 14 distinct “open spaces” — parks, trails, playgrounds or sports fields. They should be connected with pedestrian friendly streets or canals, so they’re easy to walk to.
Only 62% of Fort Worth residents live within a 10-minute walk from a park. In a ranking of the 100 most populous cities in the United States, the median is 74%, according to the nonprofit Trust Fort Public Land. Living close to a public park can improve mental and physical health, according to the nonprofit.
Added park land will also raise property values, contributing to the city’s tax base, according to the report. It cited Klyde Warren Park in Dallas, where values increased by 40% and the Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston, where values increased by 50% to 90% within a quarter mile of the park.
WATERFRONT
The entire waterfront will be accessible, like the river walk in San Antonio. The island will also have a man-made lake and marina across from the TCC River Campus.
The canal system will tie together the eastern half of the island with walking paths on either side, similar to the Trinity Trail network near the Fort Worth Zoo and University Drive. They will be more intimate, though, with plans showing tree-lined streets, and steps leading to restaurants or park benches.
The report cites Indianapolis and Cincinnati as references for what Fort Worth’s future waterfront could look like. They have walkways, parks, amphitheaters and serve as the cities’ cultural centers.
None of the waterfront can be developed until the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finishes the Central City Flood Control Project. After that, the earthen levees meant to protect the island from floodwater can come down, which will open up that land to development.
TRANSIT
A Trinity Metro bus line connects downtown to the Stockyards, but the new vision for Panther Island recommends transit connections to the north, south, east and west.
The northeast exit on the Henderson Street roundabout will be opened and extended across the island to create a new street the report called “Panther Boulevard.”
The island will also have a ring road with a dedicated bus or train line, similar to the free Molly The Trolly service in downtown Fort Worth.
Most of the apartments, offices and shopping centers would be built around North Main Street and the new Panther Boulevard to generate enough traffic for a future transit system. The specifics of that system are still being worked out.
LIVE, WORK, AND PLAY
Development can already begin on the blocks adjacent to North Main Street and south of Northwest Seventh Street, and a $120 million development from Fort Worth-based Tillar Partners is already in the works. A site plan filed with the city in September 2023 suggests it will include offices, stores and, possibly, a hotel.
Outside of North Main Street and Panther Boulevard, the rest of the island’s road network should be smaller neighborhood streets.
The consultants recommend discouraging chain stores in favor of local shops to create a neighborhood that is uniquely Fort Worth.
ABOUT PANTHER ISLAND
Panther Island will be created when the Army Corps of Engineers builds a 1.5-mile bypass channel connecting two sections of the Trinity River north of downtown. The plan is to provide flood control and update the aging levee system. The resulting island will create 338 acres of prime real estate.
Work on the 1.5 mile bypass channel is scheduled to begin in early 2025 with the northern half wrapping up in 2027 and the southern half wrapping up in 2029. The entire project is scheduled to be complete in 2032 after construction of the three flood gates, pump station and Samuels Avenue dam are complete.
Location Mentioned: Panther Island Pavilion