A slice of Panther Island could soon go vertical.
The City of Fort Worth will consider rezoning 15.4 acres near downtown to allow buildings as tall as 15 stories, paving the way for denser development on the long-stalled waterfront district. The proposed zoning covers land between North Commerce Street and the future Ring Road, and between Northeast Fourth and Fifth streets, near the Coyote Drive-In site at 223 NE Fourth Street, the Dallas Business Journal reported. The Fort Worth Zoning Commission is set to consider the case this week, with a City Council vote expected Oct. 21.
The change would bring density to an area largely limited to five-story projects, permitting taller towers and smaller structures within mixed-use developments, in alignment with the city’s form-based code and canal-focused master plan.
The city has been pushing for years to activate the mostly underdeveloped 500-acre Panther Island, which spans public and private parcels just north of downtown. The project — envisioned as a sprawling district with investments exceeding $1.1 billion — will also require new canal systems in order to mitigate flooding.
The canal network is central to the district’s long-promised transformation, connecting two forks of the Trinity River north of NW 8th Street, according to a 234-page report issued last year by Consultant HR&A Advisors and San Antonio-based Lake Flato architects. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers secured $403 million to aid flood control in 2023, opening up Panther Island to development.
The report identified areas of the north island’s interior that could be developed before flood control improvements are in place.The consultant divided Panther Island into zones to prioritize development.
The first phase could focus on 12 acres along North Main Street, designated as a high-impact area for early development, and recent zoning changes have included increasing height limits to 20 stories and removing restrictions on building floor plate sizes.
The city aims to attract higher-density, transit-oriented growth to Panther Island. The study called access and connectivity to the island “notably inadequate,” citing fragmented pedestrian infrastructure, including a lack of access to the Trinity Trail system.
Susan Alanis, Panther Island program director for the Tarrant Regional Water District, told council members last month that the rezoning sets the stage for the first phase of canal construction, slated to start next year.
A request for quotes from developers to design and build the canal system is expected to open this fall. The project is seen as a critical catalyst for private investment, which has been slow to materialize since the Encore apartments — a 300-unit complex with its own man-made waterway — were delivered in 2018.
City leaders have been methodically revising zoning across Panther Island to encourage higher-density construction. Last year, the council approved a change along North Main Street that lifted height caps to 20 stories and removed floor-plate limits for taller towers.
If approved, the latest rezoning could position the northeast section of the island for early redevelopment as Fort Worth finally moves from planning to pouring concrete.
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