Study: Potential impacts of Panther Island project on Historic Northside

A billion-dollar project is back in the spotlight in Fort Worth, this time to look at how it could impact surrounding neighbors.

On Friday, researchers presented findings on how might the Panther Island Project impact the Historic Northside, how to curb negative effects and capture positive ones.

The Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce sponsored the study, along with the City of Fort Worth. It was conducted by a national group, the Urban Land Institute.

ULI said they studied the Northside, then conducted over 100 interviews with neighbors over the past week.

They found that neighbors were most concerned with neighborhood conservation, housing affordability, business diversity, historic and cultural preservation, and implementation: Keeping those responsible for recommendations accountable.

“Northside, if you think of it as sort of this barbell, it’s getting squeezed on one side with the Stockyards and getting squeezed on the other side with the potential for the redevelopment of Panther Island. And so, definitely, the neighbors are concerned about what that is going to do to their neighborhood," said Omar Gonzalez, chair of the Urban Land Institute advisory service panel.

Researchers said there was a lot to gain from the Panther Island project, like access to downtown, access to waterfront, and improved transportation options.

But, they said the scale of such a big project like Panther Island also makes its impact greater, so there needs to be a focus on equity early on.

That includes tax exemption and protections to make sure legacy homeowners, and even renters, don't get priced out of their homes as property values rise.

It also means training and upskilling the workforce, supporting small businesses, celebrating the Northside's culture and history, and expanding access to improved parks and amenities.

Specific recommendations included creating and codifying a master plan for the neighborhood that feeds into the city's plan and removing industrial uses next to commercial corridors to stabilize the area and cut down on noise pollution and air quality concerns.

Authors said the median income in Fort Worth falls short of the median home prices, and that gap increases in the Historic Northside.

They recommended partnering with local law schools to expand legal aid for neighbors, local credit unions to offer loans, and housing counselors to create foreclosure prevention programs.

“We’re recommending putting the policies and procedures in place today that can help once Panther Island starts to become a thing, you’ve already got the Northside feeling like 'OK, I can remain in my home, I can afford my tax bills, I can continue to raise my family here,'" Gonzalez said.

Anette Landeros, President and CEO of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber said they sponsored the study because surrounding development makes their neighborhood vulnerable.

“Our focus was really to try to leverage national expert opinions to help us figure out how to preserve an existing and beloved community," she said.

She said was validating that researchers saw the strengths of their neighborhood, including community pride and a strong culture.

Even better, she said, was getting a roadmap for their challenges.

"It’s our job to keep the recommendations and the effort alive," Landeros said.

One of the most urgent ones was creating a Community Action Committee.

"It’s clear that we need to expand our network, and hopefully that community action committee will allow us the opportunity to do that. Hopefully, we can get folks who are in different circles," she said. “Just to make sure that everyone’s voices are heard and that there is connectivity.”

That's one area of weakness Stephan Sanchez noticed.

“It’s hard for me to go to these meetings and then not see my neighbors. It’s because they weren’t informed," he said.

Sanchez had attended some of the engagement sessions the Chamber held with neighbors and also sat in on ULI's findings presentation on Friday.

He said he found out about the meetings on social media, but that's not how a lot of people find their information, like his own mom and neighbors.

Although the Chamber recognized the need to improve communication, Sanchez said there's only so much that organization can do, and he wants to see the city be more involved.

“I have medium to low confidence at the moment," Sanchez said, about the preservation and revitalization of his neighborhood as Panther Island grows next door.

“Misallocation of funds for this area, but they want to build an entire little retail and living center right next door," Sanchez said. "It’s hard for me to say I’m confident that they’re going to do the right thing and help this area out, first.”

But the Chamber and ULI hope that is what happens.

They say there's still about 20 years until Panther Island comes to fruition, and there's still time to put in protections for a unique neighborhood so that it's positioned to gain from-- not shrink from-- development next door.

“A city is only as rich as its community, and a community is its people," Landeros said.