New & improved vision for Panther Island waterfront district on Trinity River unveiled
FORT WORTH -- Panther Island is one step closer to becoming a reality.
Consulting firm HR&A Advisors unveiled its new and improved vision for the development to both Tarrant Regional Water District and the Fort Worth City Council.
It's a project decades in the making.
The presentation was more of a framework for the overall vision of Panther Island, not a detailed master plan. The consultants laid out the possibilities for a one-of-a-kind waterfront district right on the Trinity River, just outside downtown.
"Certainly not all the details are ironed out, but it has set us on a clear path for the community to understand better," said Dan Buhman, general manager of the Tarrant Regional Water District. "It's also modernized the vision. The previous vision of Panther Island was 15, 20 years old. A lot has changed in the real estate market in that time. A lot has changed in Fort Worth."
There will be about 190 acres of developable land, mostly owned by public entities like the city and the Tarrant Regional Water District. The goal is to create a mixed-use neighborhood with residences, offices, restaurants, shops, schools and more.
A system of canals, diverse parks, bike routes and waterfront access will set it apart from other developments.
The new roadmap for implementation is a way to move the project forward after being plagued with various controversies, delays, and funding issues.
"I think it's a really exciting time in the community," Buhman said. "I see this Panther Island vision as an effort to make sure the public sector is aligned, the private sector can have confidence to move forward, and I think the momentum is there to really move forward now. People are going to feel the reality of this every day from here on forward."
Panther Island will be a byproduct of a bypass channel being built on the river by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to modernize the city's flood control system. So the development's future is tied to that project, which received more than $400 million in federal funding after years of delays.
"That really is a tipping point to get us to where the construction is now inevitable, it's going to happen," Buhman said. "We're going to see the pace increase significantly."
The new flood control system will take at least 10 years to complete, and the development of Panther Island might not be finished until decades after that.
However, there are some aspects that can be built and enjoyed sooner, based on a phased approach to construction.
The consultants recommended the city work through some zoning changes, the water district make plans to sell some of the land to developers, and the implementation of a new governance structure to oversee the vision.