Aug 31, 2010 14

Streetfilms – No Need for Speed: 20′s Plenty for Us

By: Kevin Buchanan

20′s Penty For Us from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

Streetfilms has a new video out exploring the rising demand for urban streets to be reset at 20 mile per hour speed limits.

Earlier this month, the New York City Department of Transportation announced plans to experiment with 20 mph zones — replacing the city’s default 30 mph speed limit in one pilot neighborhood. Whoever gets the first 20 mph treatment will see benefits that residents of British cities and towns have become increasingly familiar with in recent years.

In the UK, some 3 million people live in areas with 20 mph speed limits. The experience there shows that not only do slower speeds save lives, but lowering the limit to 20 mph improves the way local streets function in more ways than one. According to the 20′s Plenty for Us campaign, the change has produced wide-ranging benefits, including less traffic, increased walking and biking, greater independence for children, the elderly and infirm, better health, and calmer driving conditions for motorists.

The mission of 20′s Plenty For Us is to establish 20 mph as the default speed limit on all residential roads in the UK. I recently met up with the campaign’s founder, Rod King, as well as other advocates in the towns of Warrington and York, to understand how the idea of slowing down traffic has spread so fast throughout the country.

I’d add that besides changing the limit via signage and such, street designs themselves should reinforce the slower speeds through traffic calming, narrowing, and other design methods (as seen in several examples in the video).

Jul 12, 2010 20

Star-Telegram Publishes Misinformation-Filled Editorial on Streetcar Grant – A Fort Worthology Editorial

By: Kevin Buchanan

Note:  in a sense, everything here is an “editorial,” I suppose.  This one’s admittedly much more acerbic than our usual fare, though – hence the additional qualifier.  Ye be warned.

The saga of the Fort Worth Modern Streetcar project’s recent Federal Transit Administration grant win continues.  Now, the Star-Telegram has published an editorial from their Editorial Board urging the city to leave the grant money on the table, and questioning the need for a streetcar.

Now, there are plenty of questions about the streetcar project that need to be answered – nobody’s denying that.  We’ve got some of the best transit planners in the world – HDR, Inc. – working on them right now.  What’s not helpful is the city’s major newspaper’s editorial board publishing such an error-and-misinformation-filled screed against the project while it’s still in its formative stages.

Let’s go through this editorial’s points and see what we can find that’s wrong with it:

On Jan. 26, the City Council authorized an application for the grant. Council members Danny Scarth, Carter Burdette and Jungus Jordan objected, saying the city should research the idea before committing to it.
They were right.

We have been researching it.  We’ve been researching it, in one form or another, since the 1970s (as a commenter on last Friday’s post pointed out).  We are researching it even further as we speak.  There’s an effort by certain council members (a few of which are named above) and certain city leaders (such as people at the S-T’s Ed. Board) to paint this as some sort of “rush” into a streetcar project, when it’s anything but.

And since we’re actively researching it right now, with extremely talented planners, it’s misleading to suggest otherwise and irresponsible of the S-T’s editorial board (can’t be any more specific, since there’s no byline) for them to suggest that there hasn’t been a ton of research and planning already.

(By the way, there was something in Friday’s S-T article about the grant, a quote from Councilman Jungus Jordan that our planning efforts to this point have been by “laymen,” which is just flat-out wrong.  The previous streetcar study before the current HDR one, for example, was put together by a group that included professional city planners and developers.)

The city’s share of this project would be $26.8 million.

Wrong – we don’t yet know what the city’s share of the eventual first streetcar line would be, because we aren’t finished selecting and planning what that first line would be.  So, the S-T’s editorial board doesn’t know any more than we do.  It could be this much, but we don’t know yet, and the editorial board is wrong to say otherwise.

The FTA grant does require a local match, and it seems like there’s been an effort by some to suggest (or at least, not correct the impression) that the local match is $26.8 million, but that is completely factually incorrect.  The $25 million Federal grant would require a local match of $6 million – far less than is being suggested.  Beyond that, we don’t know yet – and neither does the Star-Telegram’s editorial board, so they have no business trumpeting that figure like it’s a fact to kill progress before we’re even finished.

Part of this is due to the original FTA grant application being for a “downtown circulator” along a specific route, but I know for a fact that conversations with the FTA since the application was made are indicating that Fort Worth should be able to change the specifics of the route and still get the $25 million.  The Star-Telegram’s editorial board is assuming we’re locked into that old downtown circulator line, which doesn’t look to be the case.

With the council struggling to make up a $77 million budget shortfall, even to the point of possibly eliminating property tax homestead exemptions and raising the tax rate, the thought of spending millions on a streetcar project is sheer folly.

This is complete and utter misinformation, and it speaks volumes that the S-T’s editorial board is trying to tie streetcar funding to the city’s budget problems.  There’s something very intentional behind this.  That, or they’re either not paying attention, or don’t care.

As has been said time after time, both here, by the streetcar planners themselves, and by city leaders who actually have a clue, the streetcar is extremely unlikely to require money from the city’s general fund.  The exact funding sources are being determined by HDR, but it’s likely that the funds will come from a combination of Tax Increment Finance (TIF) districts, potential Public Improvement Districts, and other such sources outside of the general fund.  A TIF, for example, is set up specifically and only for public infrastructure improvements, everything from new sidewalks to streetcar tracks.  That doesn’t take money away from swimming pools, police officers, or street maintenance across the city.

The streetcar will likely wind up with various layers of funding, just like every major project in Fort Worth, and it’s very unlikely it’ll take money from the general fund.

And this is also ignoring the economic benefits of the streetcar project – of course, the S-T dismisses those with its next paragraph:

The flowery language about “job opportunities” and “stimulating the redevelopment of walkable urban neighborhoods with a variety of housing choices” is political spin on an idea whose time is not now.

You heard it from the Star-Telegram Editorial Board:  talking about job opportunities brought about by the development and investment a streetcar line encourages is mere “flowery language.”  I’m wondering at this point if this editorial isn’t some kind of performance piece commenting on the increasing irrelevance of local newspapers.  Does the S-T’s editorial board really want to go on record during times of economic stress as saying that encouraging new investment and job growth by investing in a modern transit system is just “flowery language?”

There are businesses and investments right now who have opened in central city Fort Worth in locations they’ve picked specifically because they’re on potential streetcar lines.  The economic growth brought about by modern central city rail transit isn’t a fairy tale – it’s been seen across the United States.

What “idea” is job growth a “political spin” on, Star-Telegram Editorial Board?  Does that even make sense? It reads more to me like the Star-Telegram Editorial Board is going on the record as being against job growth through investment in better mobility.

The S-T Ed. Board similarly dismisses stimulating growth of walkable urban neighborhoods and providing a range of housing choices for Fort Worth residents.  I was unaware that the Star-Telegram’s editorial board was operating through a wormhole from the year 2000, when gas was cheap and free of supply issues and the suburban home-building industry was roaring.  It’s amazing that our sole major newspaper’s editorial board is so out-of-touch with reality.

It’s happening in Fort Worth, and it’s happening all across the country:  the central city is being reborn.  People aren’t only settling on the fringe of town in single-family homes anymore.  It’s disappointing that the S-T’s editorial board still can’t process thinking of the central city as anything more than an office park and a theme park for people from the ‘burbs to enjoy on weekends, but it doesn’t change the fact that encouraging central city redevlopment, walkable mixed-use growth centers in central city neighborhoods, and a range of housing choices is an idea whose time isn’t just now, but has been for some time now.  If Fort Worth is to compete in the modern age, we can no longer just assume that everybody’s going to be living at the edge of town and driving everywhere we go – it’s unsustainable from postions of the economy, environment, and infrastructure.  And it’s not how our peer cities are doing things anymore – but the S-T editorial board is apparently OK with us failing to be competitive.

(The Editorial Board railing about the cost of the streetcar and then dismissing redevelopment of our center city showcases how much they miss the point – it costs huge amounts of money to pay for infrastructure for new sprawl, S-T Editorial Board.)

First, there’s the $26.8 million in local money needed for the downtown circulator alone. The grant application says the city will seek commitments next month from the downtown and Lancaster tax increment financing districts to cover that cost.
Even if that works, it means $26.8 million in incremental tax revenue that the city will not get — while it’s clear that more tax revenue is sorely needed.

This is so misleading that it’s insulting.  It’s also factually incorrect.  In basic terms, a Tax Increment Finance District creates a an area where the value of property in that district is set at a base level (the level it’s at when the district is created).  The tax revenue from that base level continues to go into the general fund of the various taxing jurisdictions.  Then, revenues from any increase in value (due to new investment in the area) stay in that area.  What I mean by that is, that extra revenue is put back into the TIF’s area in the form of public infastructure improvements.  It can pay for everything from new sidewalks to new street trees to street reconstruction to new bike racks to sewer improvements to streetcar lines.

In other words, the extra revenue in a TIF district is used to pay for public improvements in that district – meaning those improvements aren’t coming out of the general fund.  Those improvements, in turn, help to spur more development and investment in the TIF district, which means more revenue for the TIF, which means more investment, etc. etc. all of which leads to new jobs, new businesses, and more economic vitality – all without taking money from the general fund, where the city’s budget shortfall is.

To put it another way, if you took $26.8 million from a TIF to build a streetcar line, you aren’t taking one damned cent away from the city’s general fund, because the TIF is already there, and that money wouldn’t have gone to the general fund anyway because of the TIF.  That TIF money can only be used for infrastructure improvements (and it’s money that the general fund doesn’t have to spend on those improvements).

So it’s blatantly misleading and untruthful for the Star-Telegram Editorial Board to be accusing the streetcar project of robbing the city of $26.8 million in tax revenue when that money could only be used for infrastructure improvements in that specific area because there’s a TIF district already in place, and has been for years.  If the streetcar project doesn’t use that money, then some other project in that area will – it’s not going to go to the general fund even if the streetcar project dies tomorrow. That’s what TIF districts do.

That the Star-Telegram’s editorial board is trying to insinuate that the streetcar TIF funding would take money otherwise headed for city income is, in my view, either jaw-dropping negligence of the facts or a purposeful attempt to mislead the citizens of Fort Worth.

Further, the need for a downtown circulator has not been shown. The council-appointed committee and some other residents have demonstrated their desire for streetcars, but not yet the need. Public buses and the “Molly the Trolley” people carrier already serve downtown well.

As stated earlier, the route can be changed, so the S-T insisting that it’s a “downtown circulator” isn’t strictly accurate.  More to the point, saying that buses and Molly “serve downtown well” really depends on your definition of “well.”

Buses – even fancy ones like Molly – simply don’t have the draw of streetcars in terms of ridership.  People who would never step on a bus, even one as nice as Molly, will ride a streetcar.  It’s due to a wide range of factors – the fixed guideway making the route easier to figure out, the exact arrival times via electronic signage making the system easier to use, the steel-on-steel rolling system making the ride smoother and more comfortable, the electric power making the ride quieter, and more.  If we’re serious about impacting our congestion and air quality problems, better rail transit in the central city is critical.  Our buses aren’t enough to cut it anymore – streetcars will encourage more people to get out of their cars and onto our streetcars and sidewalks, growing the health and vitality of the central city in a myriad of ways.

The Star-Telegram Editorial Board, however, seems content with business as usual.  They’re OK with doing the same thing over and over and expecting it to keep succeeding – but the world is changing.  The young up-and-coming generations of professionals, families, and creatives are changing.  Business as usual isn’t enough for them.  If Fort Worth’s going to compete on the modern stage, we have to be thinking differently.  We’re a major city now, whether the S-T Editorial Board likes it or not, and business as usual will cripple this city in the long term.

Which, as you’ll remember, is a refrain from another major Fort Worth leader – Mayor Mike Moncrief, who said exactly that in his State of the City address:

Commuter Rail, street cars, and other alternative modes of transportation also remain a priority for me and this City Council. Unfortunately, Fort Worth and other major metropolitan areas are finding out the hard way what a mistake it was to design and build cities around automobiles years ago. Friends, we cannot continue to focus solely on building more roads for more vehicles. That’s counter productive at best.
Business as usual is dead!
North Texas requires a transportation overhaul. No more band-aides, no more patches—a complete overhaul!

And yet, the Star-Telegram Editorial Board is a big endorser of business as usual.  They’ve come out against innovation, modern transportation choice, and investing in our city’s infrastructure to grow an economy of the 21st century – and they’re doing it via an editorial full of misdirection, misinformation, and factual errors.  Makes one wonder what exactly happened behind the scenes as that editorial was being written.

I hope all of you out there write in to the Star-Telegram and voice your support for the Fort Worth Modern Streetcar project:

Letter policy

Submit via e-mail: letters@star-telegram.com

Mail: Box 1870, Fort Worth, TX 76101

Fax: 817-390-7688

Verification: Letters must include printed full name, address and day and home phone numbers for author verification purposes only.

Frequency: Writers are limited to one letter every 30 days.

Content: Must be the author’s original words. Suggested length is 200 words or less. Letters may be edited for space, clarity, civility and accuracy.

Questions: Call 817-390-7599 or contact Jill “J.R.” Labbe, Editorial Page Director

Cheers & Jeers policy

Submit via e-mail: letters@star-telegram.com

Mail: Box 1870, Fort Worth, TX 76101

Fax: 817-390-7688

Please limit your Cheer or Jeer to about 50 words. Full name, address and daytime telephone number are required. There are some restrictions on subjects. Items may be edited.

Questions: Call 817-390-7599 or contact Jill “J.R.” Labbe, Editorial Page Director

And don’t forget – tell Mayor Moncrief and the entire city council the same thing:

Mayor – Mike Moncrief – 817-392-6118 –mike.moncrief@fortworthgov.org
Mayor Pro Tem – District 4 – Danny Scarth – 817-392-6187 –District4@fortworthgov.org
District 2 – Sal Espino –  817-392-8802 –District2@fortworthgov.org
District 3 – Zim Zimmerman – 817-392-8803 -District3@fortworthgov.org
District 5 – Frank Moss – 817-392-8805 –District5@fortworthgov.org
District 6 – Jungus Jordan – 817-392-8806 –District6@fortworthgov.org
District 7 – Carter Burdette – 817-392-8807 –District7@fortworthgov.org
District 8 – Kathleen Hicks – 817-392-8808 –District8@fortworthgov.org
District 9 – Joel Burns – 817-392-8809 – District9@fortworthgov.org

EDIT:  Here’s a great comment from reader Michael that further elaborates on TIF funding and its purpose:

“TIF districts are managed by a board of representatives from each of the participating jurisdictions who (as in all other parts of the city) collect property taxes from that particular district. These include, for instance, the City of Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Tarrant County College, etc. FWISD does not participate as they are severely penalized by the State for doing so.

Kevin gives a very good primer on how TIF districts work and, as he points out, it is extraordinarily misleading for the Star-Telegram to mischaracterize this as coming out of the general fund. The very purpose of Tax Increment Financing is to make long-term investments in public improvements (infrastructure) that will stimulate growth. The increase in property value (which is taxable as it would be under any other circumstances) supports the financing of these public improvements.

Therefore, the intent is to invest in public improvements that will support future growth – think of the improvements along Magnolia over the past decade which have attracted very significant and positive development; the result is the transformation of a once blighted neighborhood into a thriving part of Fort Worth which contributes far more to the local economy and tax rolls (including sales tax to the general fund) than it ever would have without those improvements.

TIF districts typically last about 20 years after which all collected property taxes – including those above the base amount – are distributed as they would be in any other part of the city. This is exactly how Fort Worth is going to address its budget shortfalls – through Growth, by supporting a strong business environment that will attract new development, increase property values (and the tax revenues generated by them), increase sales (thus generating sales tax), new jobs (meaning increased consumption in the area), and by pulling residents Into the city rather than out of it to neighboring cities.

One thing is certain… this is Not Amon Carter’s Star-Telegram any longer.”

Jul 6, 2010 5

Fort Worth’s Remaining Single-Screen Theaters

By: Kevin Buchanan

The Ridglea
Year Built:  1950
Status:  In use, endangered by demolition
Location:  6025 Camp Bowie – Ridglea Urban Village

The Ridglea is one of the only remaining single-screen theaters still in use in Fort Worth for entertainment purposes.  It hosts live music.  Currently, the Ridglea is threatened with near-total demolition for a Bank of America drive-through bank branch.  Posts on the Ridglea’s current saga:  here, here, here, and here.

The Bowie
Year Built:  1940
Status:  In use
Location:  3859 Camp Bowie

The Bowie is currently housing a Frost Bank branch.  The building was kept mostly intact in its conversion to a bank.

The Berry
Year Built:  Unknown, presumed 1920s-1930s
Status:  Vacant
Location:  3021 Hemphill – Hemphill/Berry Urban Village

The Berry, at Hemphill & Berry, has been vacant for some time and looks rather run-down.  The neon sign is still in place, but the marquee appears to have been lost when Hemphill was last widened.

The Grand
Year Built:  Unknown, presumed 1910s-1930s
Status:  Appears vacant
Location:  1100 Fabons – near Evans & Rosedale Urban Village

The Grand was most recently in use as a church.  It appears to be vacant now.  The sign and marquee are still intact.  The last church to occupy the building added large concrete blocks to its street facade for some reason.

The New Isis
Year Built:  1935
Status:  Vacant
Location:  2401 N. Main – Stockyards

The New Isis is a 1930s renovation of the Isis Theater from the 19teens.  The sign and marquee are intact.  Signage on the marquee has promised “The New New Isis” is “coming soon” for years, but the building doesn’t appear to be in active restoration.

The Azle
Year Built:  1941
Status:  Vacant
Location:  2206 Azle

The Azle has been vacant for some time.  The sign and a marquee are intact.  It appears to have had its formerly colorful appearance painted white some time ago.

The Rose Marine
Year Built:  1918
Status:  In use
Location:  1440 N. Main – Historic Marine (formerly Mercado) Urban Village

The Rose Marine is certainly the most well-cared-for of the old theaters in Fort Worth.  It is currently a performing arts venue.

The Poly
Year Built:  1941?
Status:  Vacant
Location:  3001 Vaughn

The Poly’s signage and marquee are partially intact.  The building was a church at some point in the past after it stopped being a theater, but appears to have been vacant for some time now.

The Hollywood
Year Built:  1929-1930
Status:  Building in use, theater vacant
Location:  410 W. 7th – Downtown Fort Worth

The Hollywood sits entombed in the Electric Building in Downtown Fort Worth, the last of the old 7th Street “Show Row” theaters even partially intact.  The theater lobby on 7th Street is mostly intact and serves as office space.  The theater itself is vacant and sealed up in the building, but the lobby areas past the main lobby and the theater from the balcony level up are all reasonably intact.  The lower level of the theater was converted to parking for the Electric Building apartments.  See our old walkthrough of the Hollywood’s remains.

Unknown
Year Built:  Unknown
Status:  Vacant
Location:  Evans & Terrell – Evans & Rosedale Urban Village

This structure isn’t obviously identified as a theater, but it strongly resembles one (its form is very similar to the Grand a few blocks away).  Not sure of this one’s name or history.  The building is currently vacant.

Photo not yet available

Unknown
Year Built:  Unknown
Status:  In use as church
Location:  Sylvania near Race – near Six Points Urban Village

This building is potentially an old single-screen theater.  It resembles one in form, but we have no information about its history.  It is currently a church.

These are all the remaining single-screen theaters that we’re aware of.  Of them, only two are in active use as entertainment venues, and one of those is threatened with demolition.  One is in use as a bank and one as a church.  The rest are vacant.

Feb 8, 2010 21

A Look at Bike Fort Worth

By: Kevin Buchanan

Bike Fort Worth, the ambitious new bicycle transportation plan, will be voted for adoption tomorrow at the City Council meeting.  Bike Fort Worth aims to create a Fort Worth that is massively more bike-friendly than at present, and thereby increase the number of bicycle users in the city.

Bike Fort Worth’s primary goals are:

  • Increasing bicycling in Fort Worth.  Double the rate of cycling for all trip purposes and triple the bicycle commuter rate from 0.2% (approx. 645 daily commuters) at present to 0.6% (approx. 2,000 daily commuters) by the year 2020.
  • Improve bicyclist safety.  Establish a system to track bike crashes, and reduce the rate of crashes by ten percent by 2020.
  • National recognition.  Earn a “Bicycle Friendly Community” designation from the League of American Bicyclists by 2015 (Austin is currently the only city in Texas with such a designation).

The Bike Fort Worth draft, available on the city’s web site, is a large and dense document.  We’ve pulled some interesting bits from it (especially those that pertain to the Fort Worthology subject matter of the city’s urban core and smart growth) for your perusal.

On the impact of land use planning on bicycle usage:

Suburban style, lower density land uses can discourage alternative transportation modes because of the large amount of land necessary for development. Because development is spread out over a larger area, automobile travel is usually necessary for mobility. While development is anticipated to continue in the suburbs, recent development trends have indicated a renewed interest in urban living. Promoting higher density, infill and mixed-use development increases efficiency of bicycling and walking for transportation.

On Fort Worth cyclist safety concerns:

Cyclists expressed concern over the safe interaction with motorists while riding on streets. Sixty percent of respondents to the 2007 bicycle survey reported that they limited the amount that they bicycle due to inattentive or aggressive drivers. A similar percentage indicated they would be more encouraged to commute by bicycle if there was stronger enforcement of traffic violations.

Most bicycle-related crashes are the result of a traffic violation by either the motorist or the bicyclist. Motorists often complain that bicyclists do not follow traffic laws and behave unpredictably. Many motorists are unaware that bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities on the road as vehicles, and some refuse to share the road.

On the current state of bridges in Fort Worth:

Bridges can be an obstacle to bicycling in Fort Worth. Bicyclists often have to ride on raised, narrow sidewalks along the bridge or share a narrow outside lane with high-speed, high-volume vehicular traffic. Many local bicyclists shared frustrations over the lack of safe crossings of barriers such as rivers, streams, highways and railroads. More than half of survey respondents indicated that bicycle accommodations on bridges would encourage them to bicycle more frequently.

On the design of city streets, and urban grids vs. suburban pods:

The City’s existing street network influences bikeability. Older parts of the City have well-connected street grids that create many options for cyclists to get to their destinations, although poor pavement conditions can decrease safety. Newly developed areas of Fort Worth often have poorly connected streets that detours traffic onto high capacity collector and arterial streets. Often these roads have no accommodation for bicyclists.

On the fractured current state of bike infrastructure in Fort Worth:

Existing on-street bikeways are often discontinuous or have abrupt beginnings and endings. The 2007 bicycling survey indicated support of construction of on- and off-street bicycle facilities throughout the City.

On the lack of bike parking and design of bike racks:

The lack of secure parking facilities can discourage people from commuting by bicycle. When no parking facilities are available, many will leave their bicycle unattended, unlocked, or will use structures that might not be safe. Many voiced concerns about the design, visibility, usability or recognition of existing bike racks.

On Fort Worth’s climate:

Fort Worth’s climate conditions are ideal for outdoor activities during a majority of the year. With the exception of the three or four hottest months and the occasional winter weather, Fort Worth’s climate is ideal for bicycling. Weather extremes should not be an impediment to cycling in Fort Worth if adequate facilities are in place. Austin, Tucson, Minneapolis and Portland all report high bicycle commuting numbers despite weather extremes.

Currently, Fort Worth’s bicycle transportation system (such as it is) totals 102.6 miles.  57.3 miles are off-street trails (think the Trinity Trails, etc.), a scant 6.4 miles are on-street bike lanes, and 38.9 miles are on-street signed routes (the existing green “bike route” signs and on-street sharrow icons).

Under Bike Fort Worth, it is proposed that the bicycle transportation network be radically enlarged, and a much greater focus be given to on-street infrastructure.  Under the proposal, Fort Worth’s bicycle transportation network would increase from the existing 102.6 miles to 924.7 miles.  224.7 miles of that would be off-street paths & trails, with the other 700 miles being dedicated to on-street infrastructure:  480.3 miles of on-street dedicated bike lanes, 218.3 miles of on-street signed routes (sharrow routes), and 1.4 miles of bus & bike-only lanes in Downtown Fort Worth.

On choosing the on-street facility for each case:

The most appropriate facility network for on-street facilities should be determined by the volume and speed of vehicles. At low speeds and low volumes, bicyclists and motorists can comfortably travel in the same lane. As speeds or volumes increase, it becomes more desirable to separate vehicular and bicycle travel.

On the creation of new sharrow routes:

Signed bike routes are on-street bikeways that assist bicyclists with wayfinding. Pavement markings indicate to motorists that they should expect to see cyclists sharing the road. Routes were proposed on the following types of roadways:

- Local/Residential streets

- Collector streets with traffic volumes under 3,000 vehicles per day

-Arterial streets where constrained by available right of way, land uses, natural features, etc.

On the creation of new bike lanes:

A bike lane is for the exclusive or preferential use by cyclists on a roadway identified through signage, striping and other pavement markings. Lanes were proposed on the following types of roadways:

- Collector streets with traffic volumes greater than 3,000 vehicles per day and observed speeds of greater than 30 mph

- Arterial streets

Bike lanes are intended to provide separation and encourage proper behavior between bicyclists and motor vehicles. Additional benefits provided by bike lanes:

- Incent less-experienced adult bicyclists to ride where they otherwise would not

- Increase the comfort of bicyclists and motorists on roadways

- Indicate the appropriate location to ride on the roadway with respect tomoving traffic and parked cars, both at mid-block locations andapproaching intersections

- Increase the capacity of roadways that carry mixed bicycle and motorvehicle traffic

- Increase predictability of bicyclist and motorist movements

- Increase drivers’ awareness of bicyclists while driving and when openingdoors from an on-street parking space

On sidewalks:

Bicycling on sidewalks is highly discouraged in the Bike Fort Worth plan. Except where meeting the definition of sidepaths, this plan does not support the designation of sidewalks as bikeway facilities.

Downtown Fort Worth would gain many new sharrow routes, and the conversion of the existing bus-only lanes on Houston and Throckmorton into bus & bike-only lanes.

The Near Southside design standards proposes more bike lanes in that district than Bike Fort Worth does.  Bike Fort Worth states that its Near Southside recommendations are a minimum and that the Near Southside can install more bike lanes than shown in the draft.

On cyclist interactions with traffic signals:

The greatest risk to bicyclists traveling through intersections is during the clearance interval and actuated phases of low traffic flow. A bicyclist needs enough time to react, accelerate and cross the intersection within the allotted green phase. It is recommended that Fort Worth install and calibrate equipment (loop detectors, cameras, etc.) to detect bicyclists at traffic signals along the City’s existing and proposed bikeways.
For traffic signals where bicyclists are having difficulty being detected, bicyclists should be directed by pavement markings to the spot above the loop where a bicyclist should be positioned to trip the signal. Consideration should be given to bicyclists in the timing of the traffic signal to provide an adequate clearance interval for bicyclists who enter the intersection at the end of a green phase. The AASHTO guide provides guidance on determining the amount of time needed for bicyclist clearance intervals and start-up green phases.
On bridge design from this point forward:
New bridges on a proposed bikeway should include a wide outside lane or dedicated bike lanes in addition pedestrian sidewalks. Wide (minimum 10 foot) sidewalks physically separated from vehicular travel lanes may also be provided as facilities for shared use by bicyclists and pedestrians, though it should be recognized that many cyclists prefer to remain in the travel lanes. Where bicyclists will be traveling next to a handrail, it should have a minimum height of 54”.
On creating effective bike parking:
Recommended bike rack designs have common factors that include supporting the bicycle frame in at least two contact points and accommodating the most widely used locking devices such as U-locks. Ribbon-style racks and racks that only secure the bike by the front wheel are discouraged. Racks should have a protective coating that will preserve the rack material and limit replacement needs. Cyclists and the public should easily recognize preferred bike racks.
Bicycle Rack siting should be planned with the convenience and security of bicyclists in mind.
Bike Fort Worth proposes the creation of  a city bicycle fleet for city staff use:
The City should explore the possibility of providing a small fleet of bicycles for City staff. A number of cities nationwide have established bicycle fleets. This program is consistent with the City’s sustainability efforts. It could be used a model for local businesses that might benefit from a similar program.
Bike Fort Worth also recommends requiring developers to provide bike parking through zoning requirements:
Many cities report a measurable increase in bicycle trips following the creation of bicycle parking requirements. City staff should review zoning regulations adopted by other cities to develop regulations for Fort Worth.
The plan also proposes new traffic ordinances:
- Require motorists to provide a minimum of three feet clearance while overtaking a bicycle.
- Prohibit motorists from opening a vehicle door into oncoming traffic.
- Prohibit parking in designated bike lanes.
- Require motorists to yield to oncoming bicyclists when turning left – to prevent the left hook crash.
- Prohibit motorists from overcoming and then turning right in front of a bicyclist – to prevent right hook crashes.
- Prohibit bicyclists from riding on standard-width sidewalks in areas with high pedestrian traffic or a history of bicycling crashes on sidewalks.
The plan also states that the city should look into a variety of on-street infrastructure designs for different situations (shown in one of the images above), including Portland-style Bicycle Boulevards, Bike Boxes, colored bike lanes, bicycle-only traffic signals, contra-flow bike lanes, and cycle tracks.
Bike Fort Worth also calls for the establishment of bicycle commuter stations at major transit stops, such as the Intermodal Transportation Center, that would feature such items as secure long-term bike parking, shower & changing facilities, bike repair and rental, and more.
Included in our set of images above are sections of the proposed bicycle transportation facility maps, showing the dramatic increase in bike infrastructure under the proposal.  On the maps, red indicates on-street sharrow routes, blue is on-street bike lanes, green is off-street trails, and purple is bus/bike lanes.  Solid lines indicate existing facilities, dashed lines are the new proposals.  Some noteworthy new dedicated bike lanes in the central city:
  • West 7th Street, from near Throckmorton out to University
  • Montgomery Street, from W. 7th to Lovell
  • Foch Street from W. 7th to Harley
  • Lancaster Avenue from Foch Street to Montgomery Street
  • Harley from Montgomery to University
  • White Settlement from Downtown out past Bailey
  • Carroll from W. 7th to White Settlement
  • Bailey from W. 7th to White Settlement
  • Summit from W. 7th to Pennsylvania
  • 5th from Jones out past Riverside
  • North Main from Downtown out to 14th
  • Jennings from near Throckmorton to Magnolia
  • Vickery from Adams out past Riverside
  • Adams from Vickery to Pennsylvania
  • College from Pennsylvania to Rosedale
  • Pennsylvania from 12th to South Main
  • Rosedale from 8th to South Main
  • South Main from Magnolia to Morningside
  • Allen from I-35 out past Riverside
  • South Main from Vickery to Lancaster
  • 7th Avenue from Pennsylvania to Rosedale
  • Forest Park and McCart from Glenco Terrace to Benbrook Blvd.
  • Stadium from Cantey to Berry
  • Bellaire from University to Anton
  • Berry from Stadium, converting to Bellaire then out to Bryant Irvin

There’s much more, but that’s a taste.  Check out our image gallery (including some detail maps) at the top of this post, and check the city’s site for the full draft plan.  Don’t forget as well the Bike Friendly Fort Worth ride tomorrow evening to City Hall to show support for the proposal.

Dec 16, 2009 4

New Federal Rules Improve Tools For Bikes, Pedestrians

By: Kevin Buchanan

Following up on the news that Texas is the first state to adopt new complete streets rules for their Department of Transportation comes word that the Federal Highway Administration has updated their official Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) to allow engineers more tools to properly accommodate bikes and pedestrians in road design. Our friends out west at BikePortland.org have a good summary. Here’s a bit:

Several of the new updates will make it easier for city traffic engineers across the country to implement signs, signals, and markings that improve conditions for biking and walking.

Some of the key changes to the MUTCD that benefit bike and foot traffic are:

  • the addition of shared-lane markings (also known as “sharrows”),
  • the addition of “Bicycle Allowed Full Lane” signage,
  • an improved U.S. Bike Route sign,
  • the addition of bike route guide signs ,
  • new guidance for deciding when a new traffic signal can be installed,
  • and changing the formula used to calculate crosswalk times to give walkers more time.

Dec 7, 2009 5

The Usual Adds Signage

By: Kevin Buchanan

The Usual, the sleek new bar on Magnolia Avenue in the Near Southside, has now gotten rid of the long-running vinyl banner and installed their new signage. Large chrome letters projected out from the brick wall of the building, which will presumably soon be lit at night. We think it looks great, and it’s a wonderful match for the Usual’s striking modern interior.

While we’re on the subject of the Usual, Brad tells us the place’s operating hours are 3:00 PM to 2:00 AM.

Nov 19, 2009 18

Fort Worth Museum Of Science And History – Exclusive Photo Tour

By: Kevin Buchanan

Surely, a lot of people in Fort Worth have fond memories of the old Museum of Science and History. It’s where you could see caveman brain surgery, watch movies about volcanoes, and eat metric tons of astronaut ice cream. Undoubtedly, there were some misty eyes as the museum’s long-running home was demolished to make way for the new building.

Now, that new building has arrived. The new Fort Worth Museum of Science and History opens tomorrow (Friday, November 20th) to the public. Fort Worthology was fortunate enough to get a sneak peek before the public opening, though, and we have one of our big photo tours of the new museum to pique your interest before tomorrow’s grand opening.

The new building was designed by Legorreta + Legorreta of Mexico. It is as different from the old structure, and from everything else in the Cultural District, as you could imagine. In a district thus far filled with the striking Japanese modernism of the Modern, the intimate and masterful vaults of the Kimbell, the jet-age swank of the Carter, the zany Buckminster Fuller futurism of Cana Manana, and the Art Deco zigzags of the Will Rogers Memorial Center and the Cowgirl Museum, the new Museum of Science and History plops down a blocky, vibrantly-colored set of forms that seem to be the work of parallel-universe Aztecs from the future.

Where the old building was basically a gussied-up ’50s high school that sort of blended into the scene, the new building is nothing if not extremely bold. Read the rest of this entry »

Sep 21, 2009 1

West 7th Updates – Lights, Landscaping, Signage, Etc.

By: Kevin Buchanan

The West 7th development is coming together nicely, and walking around the development shows that the streetscape is finally starting to feel complete.

Along Crockett, between the two loft buildings, strings of festival lights have been installed. The lights run between the two buildings for the length of the street, except in the center of the block. There, the buildings set back a bit, creating a sizable plaza space. Leaving the plaza area open overhead gives a kind of “tension and release” feel to the development’s streetscape, with a more cozy sensation between the building walls under the lights opening up to a larger central “room.” It’s a nice piece of spatial definition.

Landscaping looks to be very nearly complete. Here, we’re looking into one half of the central plaza.

Bollards have been installed to define the two halves of the curbless plaza and to prevent cars from entering. The sculptures in each plaza have been given their permanent installations and the water features around them are being installed.

Here’s a close-up of one of the sculptures and its in-progress water feature.

One of the central plaza spaces. One of the development’s mid-block pedestrian passages can be seen behind the sculpture. These serve to break up the longer blocks into segments similar in size to a standard downtown block, allowing improved pedestrian circulation.

Decorative paving can be seen between the two plazas. It’s easy to imagine that this central area could be entirely blocked off to car traffic for special events.

Typical Crockett streetscape, showing off the wide sidewalks and trees planted out at the edge of the sidewalk, not near the building – the proper way to go about it in an urban setting, to create a better sense of enclosure for pedestrians.

The corners of the central plaza space each have a large outdoor dining area for the adjacent retail space. This will be the outdoor dining area at Tillman’s Roadhouse.

This will be outdoor dining for Patrizio.

Looking up at the lofts above the central plaza.

Streetscape in front of Patrizio and Paciugo.

Another angle on one of the sculpture/water feature installations in the central plaza.

Looking up through the festival lighting at the lofts above.

Looking down Crockett at Movie Tavern.

Speaking of Movie Tavern, their signage is going up now. A neon “Movie Tavern” sign adorns the building at Crockett & Currie, while the company’s slogan “Movies Never Tasted So Good!” has been installed over the ground-level entrance & plaza on the corner.

Looking up at the Movie Tavern sign.

The Movie Tavern slogan and plaza in front of the ground-level entrance.

Leasing at the lofts is going on now. Retail tenants of West 7th are looking to start opening soon. Some tenants, including Movie Tavern, Tillman’s Roadhouse, Paciugo and Yofe should be opening in October, while more will open in December, including LA Fitness, Bailey’s Prime Plus, Patrizio and Delaney’s Irish Pub. Bowling alley Lucky Strike Lanes looks to open later, in March 2010. March will also be the official “grand opening” of the development as a whole. Two further pieces of the development – a second office tower and the likely third loft building replacing the originally planned hotel component – will be built later.

Aug 21, 2009 2

Another Small Mixed-Use Infill Building On The Near Southside

By: Kevin Buchanan

This new infill development is rising just to the north of Rosedale. While there isn’t much information visible on the signage around the site, we’re going to guess that it’s another example of a medical office on the ground floor and apartments on the second floor (the site is located in an area with the Near Southside’s T4-N zoning – the “N” indicates that all developments must include residential uses). No architect sign was visible, though it resembes some of the other developments designed by TMA Architects, so they’re our leading candidate.

It’s good to see some infill activity to the north of Rosedale, and we look forward to seeing the building finishing out in the weeks ahead. Click the photos for a larger view.

Aug 7, 2009 11

West 7th Tour – In-Depth Walkthrough Of Lofts, Retail, Office

By: Kevin Buchanan

Thanks to Kirk Williams, Senior Vice President of Development at developer Cypress Equities, Nancy Johnson-Plump, Partner at leasing company Peloton Real Estate Partners, and Damon Lively of residential leasing company Lincoln Properties, we are bringing you another in-depth walkthrough of the West 7th mixed-use development in the Cultural District.

West 7th, for the uninitiated, is a multiblock mixed-use infill development, located primarily on what used to be the site of the old Acme Brick headquarters (remember that?) on W. 7th Street in the Cultural District. Built on all or part of five blocks, the development features 275,000 square feet of retail space, 240,000 square feet of office space, and 345 residential units. Future phases will include more office space, more retail space, and potential hotel or residential additions.

Designed by Good, Fulton, and Farrell and Gideon Toal, West 7th features a contemporary look and feel, and occupies the property roughly bounded by 7th, Foch, Morton, and University.

We began this tour in the development’s mixed-use apartment/retail buildings, which are now nearing completion.

The residential portion of the development has been named. The Lofts @ West 7th features 345 apartments, with an impressive 206 floor plan variations. Units range from 497 square feet for the smallest studio to 1,201 square feet for the largest one-bedroom, 1,599 square feet for the largest two-bedroom, and 1,572 for the largest three-bedroom. Three finishes – standard, enhanced, and premium – add further variety to the residential portion of the development. The finish level determines things like counters, light fixtures, appliances, floors, and more.

Above is the leasing office for the lofts. It sets the stage for the rest of the residences – a very contemporary, modern, hip & urban finish and design permeates the development.

A small business center for the residents is also located on the ground floor, just down from one of the elevators.

Just outside the leasing office is the development’s pool, a small but attractive space featuring fountains (the white U-shaped objects on the mosaic tile wall – they weren’t active when we toured) and sleek modern lounge chairs.

Located above the leasing office is this fairly elaborate fitness center for the residents. Treadmills, weights, and more, all with views of the Modern, Will Rogers Memorial Center, surrounding neighborhood, and pool.

Another view in the fitness center – the Museum Place development can also be seen from here.

Further fitness center spaces.

Coming off the fitness center is this resident’s balcony.

The view of the pool from the fitness center balcony.

More pool views from the balcony.

The first unit we looked at was a two-bedroom two-bath on the south corner. Here, we’re looking through the kitchen into the living area. This unit featured the “enhanced” finish, the mid-level of the three.

Kitchen & island.

Living area. The doors to the right can be opened, as there is a railing just outside.

Dining area. The units feature lots of built-in shelving.

Master bedroom, with similar enclosed glass doors to the exterior.

The master bathroom. Many of the units feature double sinks, as seen here.

The spacious master closet.

Views of the pool and neighborhood from the master bedroom.

Second bathroom.

Second bedroom.

Doors to the units feature bright colors and a geometric design seen on exterior signage.

In another unit, here’s a small space set up as a study.

More pool views.

Dining area of this second unit.

This one-bedroom unit was also on the southwest corner. It features the “standard” finishes, with different appliances, floors, light fixtures, counters, and so on.

Living area.

More living area. This unit features a simple wall diving the living area from the bedroom, with an open passage on either side.

Bedroom view, on the other side of the wall.

The unit’s bathroom.

The units on the interior of the buildings face onto a series of courtyards, which are still being finished out. This was one of the more complete courtyards, featuring decorative planters and an AstroTurf activity area.

Next up was this spacious one-bedroom on one of the building’s curved corners, featuring tons of windows and a large curved balcony.

This unit also featured the “enhanced” finish, and had a central kitchen in the middle of the curve.

This unit’s bathroom featured a separate, tall shower.

Units on the top floor of each building feature spacious balconies. Here, we’re looking east down the development’s central axis toward Downtown Fort Worth.

Looking across from the balcony to the other curved corner across the street. The southern apartment building is one story shorter on the west end than the east, to help preserve views from the Modern.

Facade of the northern apartment block.

Top-floor bedroom with balcony access.

Looking northwest, towards the Museum Place development. The L-shaped dirt patch in the center will be the development’s second officer tower and associated retail/parking structure. The second office tower will be built when a tenant for it comes along. It is already funded, so the current economic climate will not have an effect on financing.

On the large curving corner balcony, looking toward the Modern.

A closer view of the Modern from the balcony. The UNT Health Science Center and a bit of the Amon Carter Museum can also be seen.

The southwest view. Points of interest here include the Will Rogers Memorial Center (especially Pioneer Tower), Cana Manana, Farrington Field, and Capital Bar.

Close-up view of the Modern.

Close-up view of Pioneer Tower at WRMC.

Looking north from the corner balcony.

Close-up view of Museum Place Phase One from the balcony.

A good angle on the development’s spacious sidewalks and the decorative paving going in.

View from the living area toward the Modern.

Another top-floor unit’s kitchen, also with the “enhanced” finish.

Balcony access and interesting segmented window treatment.

Another large top-floor balcony view.

Looking down the central street, Crockett, towards Downtown.

The central “room” on Crockett, where the buildings step back to create a large plaza space on both sides of the street. Art installations and water features are going in here.

One set of the art installations for the central plazas. They are in temporarily to adjust other elements, and will be cleaned and permanently installed soon. The sculptures will sit in a water feature.

Another segmented window example.

Looking down into another of the central plaza spaces.

Kitchen area in another top-floor unit.

This unit sits on the inward-curving corner at Currie & Crockett. The other apartment building is on the left, and the Movie Tavern/LA Fitness/Lucky Strike Lanes complex takes the center spot.

Looking back up Crockett.

Living area.

The inward curve is visible here, along with the balcony.

Master bedroom.

The view of Downtown from the balcony.

Fred’s, from the balcony.

Corner of Crockett & Currie.

Another of the interior courtyards, this one still being finished out.

Looking in to a more finished courtyard from one of the bridges linking the wings of the apartment buildings.

Pool, leasing office, fitness center, and balcony.

Now we’re at street level, headed back up Crockett past the retail storefronts. The length of Crockett will be strung with criss-crossing “festival” lights, except for the area of the central plazas, which will be open.

Here, at Crockett and Norwood, the space on the right will be home to Terra Mediterranean Grill.

Crockett facade and streetscape.

This space will be Fireside Pies. As you can see, they will have a large outdoor seating area along Crockett, next to the south central plaza.

North central plaza, art installation, and the north central pedestrian passageway, which divides the longer blocks up into smaller, more easily walkable ones.

The view through the north central pedestrian passage, linking Crockett and 7th.

Details of one of the art pieces. These will sit in a water feature. They are to be removed and reinstalled in a more finished fashions soon.

Looking through the south central pedestrian passage, linking Crockett and Morton.

This space on the north central plaza will be Patrizio. They will also have a large outdoor seating area.

Here on the south central plaza, the other large space will be Tillman’s Roadhouse, with another large outdoor seating area.

On the north apartment block, the space to the left of the green plywood will be Paciugo, while the green plywood covered space itself will be Toni & Guy.

Here on the corner of Crockett & Currie will be Bailey’s Prime Plus Steakhouse. Next door will be Avant Garden.

On the other corner on the left will be Brownstone, a new concept from celebrity chef Casey Thompson, head chef at Shinsei in Dallas. The right corner will be the entrance for Movie Tavern, while Yofe and LA Fitness will be next door on Currie and Crockett, respectively.

The LA Fitness entrance.

The LA Fitness space. Buildout begins next week – the fitness club will have a large two-story space of over 40,000 square feet.

The upper level of the LA Fitness space.

This space will be the basketball court.

This will be the weight room.

The Lucky Strike Lanes space. Lucky Strike will be a slightly later opening than some of the other main tenants. In the foreground will be the actual bowling lanes, with the lounge/bar area in the background.

The Lucky Strike entrance lobby. As Lucky Strike is on the second floor, they have a dedicated lobby with stairs and elevators. Their entrance is on 7th Street.

The 7th Street streetscape outside the Lucky Strike entrance. Future plans by the city could re-work 7th into a four lane design, with on-street parking instead of the outside lanes, and a streetcar alignment down the center.

Another mid-block pedestrian passage, this time on the northeast block between the Lucky Strike/Movie Tavern building and the One West 7th office tower.

Monument signs for tenants have been going up on some corners of the development. They sport the development’s iconic logo. This is the corner of 7th & Foch.

Here, we’re in the Movie Tavern space. Movie Tavern will feature two entrances, one from the parking garage and a grand entrance at street level, where guests will ride escalators up to the third floor in front of a curved glass wall.

The Movie Tavern lobby. To the right is the bar area, and the left is the curved glass wall looking out over Currie & Crockett.

The bar space in the Movie Tavern lobby.

Movie Tavern has a large, curved balcony similar to the apartment blocks, with great views over the central intersection.

Looking toward Fred’s from the Movie Tavern balcony.

The Movie Tavern balcony itself.

Some of the escalators up from the ground-floor Movie Tavern entrance.

Looking down through the escalators.

One of the seven screens in the West 7th Movie Tavern. Looking towards the screen area.

Looking back up toward the projection room.

This hallway connects to all the theaters and the kitchen, and has a view out the Crockett side windows.

Now we’re in the One West 7th office tower. This is the view towards Downtown from the third-floor terrace.

Looking down through the third-floor office terrace. The bright red on the left is a design element at the entrance to the office tower.

Looking down from the office terrace onto the Lucky Strike Lanes terrace.

The 7th Street streetscape from the office terrace.

Third-floor office space.

Office restrooms.

Detail of finishes in office elevators.

The view from one of the office floors towards Montgomery Plaza.

Floors 4 and up in the office tower feature corner balconies – here’s the view towards Downtown.

Lola’s from an office balcony.

Also a nice view on the Foch Warehouses development – here, Dean-Kingston, Asel Art Supply, Materials Marketing, and Bliss can be seen.

Here, we’re on the roof of One West 7th, looking towards WRMC and the Modern.

Looking toward Museum Place from the roof of One West 7th.

The view of Foch Street, AMLI 7th Street Station, SoSeven, and the Lancaster Avenue bridge from atop One West 7th.

One West 7th’s two largest tenants thus far are major local accounting firm Weaver and Tidwell, and local architectural-engineering firm Multatech. Here, we’re in Multatech’s future space.

Another look at Multatech’s in-progress space.

Here, we’re on the second floor, looking out through the entrance feature.

On the second floor, the office space is configured a bit differently. Instead of large open floors for lease, the second floor is being pre-configured into series of “spec suites” – turn-key, ready-to-go small office spaces for companies too big for a simple executive suite, but too small to justify a large full-floor lease.

The office lobby. Not quite complete, the office tower lobby has been designed in a very light, contemporary style. Cypress wanted to avoid the usual office building lobby look common in Fort Worth and Dallas, the dark wood or brown granite style seen in countless other building. Here, light wood and a unique wall coating create a very different feel.

This decorative wood treatment will be installed on the walls soon.

The decorative wood panels will be mounted to the pegs sticking out of the wall on the left.

The unique brushed-on coating of the elevator lobby walls, contrasted with the same light wood carried over from the rest of the lobby.

Looking through one of the mid-block pedestrian passages, here on the northeast block.

West 7th is also putting in bike infrastructure. Here’s one of the development’s bike racks.

The One West 7th office tower is going for LEED certification, and the hope is for the building to achieve LEED Gold.

Back at street level, at the Currie & Crockett intersection.

Currie streetscape. Yofe Cafe will be located here.

This retail space at the corner of Currie & 7th comes with a large rooftop deck. Cypress is talking to potential tenants with idea for the deck.

The other corner of Currie & 7th features the Lucky Strike space on the second floor and more retail space on the ground floor.

The Currie facade of the Movie Tavern building (Yofe will be in space at lower right). The dark rectangles on the upper level are spaces for large decorative movie posters.

Example of streetscape lighting.

Another of the development’s monument signs. They recall the Cor-Ten steel “Vortex” sculpture in front of the Moder in terms of materials.

We really do have to applaud Cypress for that logo – it seems so obvious now, and makes a very iconic statement.

7th Street streetscape.

The north central pedestrian passage.

Wood & metal detailing in the pedestrian passages.

This space at the corner of 7th & Norwood will be home to Delaney’s Irish Pub. Delaney’s will feature a large rooftop deck on the second level, which should provide some great views.

Looking down the Norwood streetscape and more of the large Delaney’s corner space.

Looking back down Crockett from the Norwood end of the apartment blocks. Again, the corner on the right there will be Terra Mediterranean Grill.

The first piece of signage is now up as well – this cool, colorful sign for the lofts, on the Norwood facade.

This is the newest usage plan, showing the location of the various tenants. The current tenant list is now:

Movie Tavern
Lucky Strike Lanes
Yofe Cafe
Avant Garden
Tillman’s Roadhouse
Delaney’s Irish Pub
Fireside Pies
Terra Mediterranean Grill
Patrizio
Paciugo
Toni & Guy
Brownstone
Bailey’s Prime Plus Steakhouse
LA Fitness

And, in buildings outside the main development blocks:

Sovereign Bank
Backwoods
The Pour House

From what I’m told, there may be several more tenant announcements coming up – Cypress is talking with potential tenants but aren’t quite ready to make announcements just yet.

And so, there’s another big tour of the West 7th development. The web sites for the respective parts of the development are now online, so for more information, check these out:

– Web site for the overall development and retail.
– Web site for The Lofts @ West 7th.
– Web site for office leasing in the One West 7th tower.

Once again, thank you to Kirk Williams, Senior Vice President of Development for Cypress Equities, Nancy Johnson-Plump, Partner at Peloton Real Estate, and Damon Lively at Lincoln Properties for giving us this thorough walkthrough and discussion of their development.

Jul 27, 2009 2

Capital Bar Progress

By: Kevin Buchanan

Capital Bar has made a lot of progress lately. The Cultural District bar, located just down the street from the West 7th development by Cypress Equities, is to feature a 38 foot long bar and 1,500 square foot rooftop deck.

The building has come together nicely and signage is now up. Click for a bigger view.

Jun 18, 2009 2

Russell Grace/Liberty Electric Building No More

By: Kevin Buchanan


View Larger Map

A quick note – while taking photos of the Love Shack progress at SoSeven, we couldn’t help notice that the last of the buildings across the street, stretching from the old Hillard Collision building to the tattoo shop, has been demolished. The Liberty Electric Tattoo/Russell Grace Insurance building wasn’t particularly remarkable, but it was a charming piece of old 7th Street urbanism. What was more spectacular was the old Russell Grace Insurance sign, a classic example of big, bold American urban neon signage.

Well, it’s all a pile of rubble now, as the property’s owner, Chesapeake Energy, has leveled the building. Chesapeake has been demolishing buildings left and right along this stretch of 7th, with no announcement as to what is being planned. We’d like to think Chesapeake is planning to sell the property to developers, but we’re cynical enough to believe it’s probably all just for a gas drilling rig. Still, the question remains – with their property stretching far back off 7th, why the need to demolish the buildings on the street itself? We won’t miss the collision repair place, but the Russell Grace building was pretty cool.

Another small piece of Fort Worth’s history removed with the strike of a backhoe.

May 21, 2009 5

Fort Worthology goes to Portland, Part Two: Bicycling

By: Kevin Buchanan

In today’s Portland post, we’re going to talk about bicycling in the Rose City, including our meet-up with fellow urbanism blogger Elly Blue of BikePortland.org.

(Note: this post contains video from our friends at StreetFilms, a fellow member of the StreetsBlog Network that Fort Worthology is part of. Clarence and the gang at StreetFilms do an awesome job translating examples of urbanism, transit, and bike advocacy into cool videos, and we’re glad to have them featured here.)

Bicycling in Portland is a big deal. The city consistently appears at or near the top of bike-friendly cities in the United States, and the results are plain to see. More people ride bikes in Portland than in any other United States city – 3.5 percent of the population rides every day. While that’s still a ways off from the huge number of bike commuters in European cities, compare it with Fort Worth’s current 0.2 percent figure.

Bicycling is popular in Portland at least in part because it has been made easy, convenient, and safe (at the very least, compared to most other American cities). As opposed to the viewpoint prevalent in most of the U. S. (including Fort Worth until recently), which is typically “we’ll only put bike infrastructure in if there are enough people riding bikes,” Portland took the “build it and they will come” approach – creating effective, efficient bike infrastructure which helped encourage ever-larger numbers of bike traffic. Here in Fort Worth, we’re only just seeing this reversal now, with the “Bike Fort Worth” plan we wrote about recently.

This is just a small segment of the Portland bike transportation map. It’s massively larger and more intricate compared to the current Fort Worth bike system – though it pleases us that the Bike Fort Worth maps much more closely resemble this sort of network. The Portland bike network makes getting around the city by bike very easy, safe, and efficient.

Further, transit options feature bike support – all buses feature bike racks on front, the MAX light rail features hooks to hang bikes on in the trains, and the streetcar’s center, low-floor car allows space for bikes on the streetcar.

Here’s a closer view of the bike network in Downtown Portland.

Here, a closer view of the Pearl District/Chinatown/Old Town network.

A small segment of the North Portland network.

And here is a small segment of the Southeast Portland network.

The Portland bike route maps not only show easy paths from one location to another, but they also mark out higher-traffic streets, difficult connections, and difficult intersections to avoid.

Several of the routes are “bicycle boulevards” – featuring strong traffic calming measures to slow and discourage car traffic in favor of bikes and pedestrians. These feature traffic diverters letting cars out but not in, signs blocking entrance except by bikes, frequent speed humps, and small roundabouts with large trees and plantings in the middle of the intersection to slow traffic and discourage through driving.

I took this shot from a bike in one of the bike boulevards, as we went around the traffic-calming roundabout.

Several of the dedicated bike lanes in Portland feature these “bike boxes” to help give cyclists a safer start at traffic signals, as seen in this StreetFilm.

As a result, one can’t help but see tons of bikes everywhere they go in Portland. People ride them for fun, for commuting, for trips to the store, to visit friends – whatever. Particularly pleasing to us is the number of people riding bikes in normal clothing, rather than the spandex & lycra numbers most often seen in Fort Worth. Bicycle usage in Portland has climbed much farther up the summit of “normal,” and there it’s not seen as a strictly exercise/speed thing requiring tight-fitting clothes and helmets.

With so many people on bikes, there’s a real sense of “safety in numbers” as the amount of bikes on the road helps reinforce the correct behavior of car drivers in a mixed environment. While, of course, accidents do still occur, riding bikes in Portland feels far safer than the atmosphere in most of North Central Texas.

Portland also features huge amounts of bike parking, further encouraging the use of bikes as normal transportation. Naturally, there are plenty of standard bike racks – much, much more than you find around these parts.

Every block has multiple bike racks in front of stores, cafes, and other destinations.

Most of the bike racks take the form of the simple blue inverted-U rack, as seen above. They’re easily identifiable, extremely simple to use, and each will hold a couple of bikes.

Some areas feature more stylized racks. For example, in the north end of the Pearl District, bike racks take on the appearance of the nearby Fremont Bridge.

The racks installed by the legendary Powell’s Books feature the titles and authors of some bike-related books that can be found inside.

Rows of bike racks are often spotted filled with bikes, such as this scene in the “Vegan District,” home to Food Fight (an all-vegan grocery store), Herbivore Clothing, and Sweetpea Bakery.

Here, clusters of bikes park outside businesses in the North Mississippi district.

Another scene along North Mississippi.

Bike racks are only the start of bike parking infrastructure in Portland, though. Here, a covered bike rack setup, built on an extended sidewalk, is seen in the Hawthorne Boulevard district. This is known as a “bike oasis” and is something the city is starting to install more of around neighborhoods.

Huge amounts of bike parking are provided at major transit/commuter centers. Here, we see just a small portion of the rows upon rows of filled bike racks surrounding the OHSU South Waterfront office building & cafe, where bicyclists transfer to and from the Portland Streetcar and the Portland Aerial Tram discussed in yesterday’s post.

Another major bike parking initiative in Portland is the “bike corral.” This is where one or two on-street car parking spaces are removed and replaced with on-street parking for 25+ bicycles. The corrals are wildly popular with cyclists, and have been good for adjacent businesses, too – where once they had the capacity to have one or two vehicles parked, they now have the ability to have 25-65 vehicles in front of their business. In this shot, Elly Blue from BikePortland.org shows us a bike corral in the North Mississippi district. Elly gave us a great rundown on bike infrastructure projects in the city.

As an aside, we met Elly in the North Mississippi district, at a hole-in-the-wall Mexican diner & taqueria called Por Que No. Not knowing what to expect of Oregonian Mexican food, we were pleasantly surprised – the food was flavorful and vegetarian options abounded (as they do virtually everywhere in Portland – more on this in another post).

I really want to thank Elly from BikePortland for giving us her own personal resident’s perspective on the goings-on in her city, and for showing us the hospitality she did as we chowed down at Por Que No and then hung out at a nearby coffee shop. It’s always great to get the chance to interact with fellow urbanism/transit/bicycling bloggers, and Elly & the gang at BikePortland.org have got a great thing going. Thanks a bunch for everything, Elly – if you ever find yourself in Fort Worth, you have an open invitation to hang with the Fort Worthology crew, and we hope we can pay a visit to your city again.

Here is another heavily-used bike corral, this time in the Belmont district, on a drizzly day in front of It’s a Beautiful Pizza and a branch of local legends Stumptown Coffee. Fort Worthology’s own bikes, provided very graciously by the Ace Hotel in Downtown, are parked somewhere in the mass of bikes.

Speaking of the Ace, here’s another very popular bike corral, this time in front of their building in Downtown Portland.

Another bike corral in Belmont, next to some local establishments and across the street from one of Portland’s many urban grocery stores.

A rainy day hasn’t stopped the heavy use of this bike corral, also in the Belmont district.

A mom transports her kid in a popular Dutch cargo bike known as a Bakfiets past a bike corral in front of Fresh Pot in the North Mississippi district.

This Streetfilms video features both the Portland bike corrals and bike oases.

Portland’s river has not stopped them from connecting districts, either. While here, crossing the Trinity on the 7th Street or Lancaster bridges can be a hair-raising and frankly dangerous experience on a bike, the bridges in Portland feature much more effective infrastructure. Several bridges feature pedestrian & bike-only levels, such as on the Steel Bridge, while others feature wider pathways and signage for directing bikes & pedestrians. Here, on the Hawthorne bridge, cyclists and pedestrians have much more ample room to maneuver, and dedicated signage to help cross safely. Compare and contrast with the scene on 7th Street or Lancaster.

Here, a cyclist heading from Downtown to Southeast Portland (wearing fishnets, no less) waits for the Hawthorne bridge to lower again after allowing a sailboat to pass.

Bike & pedestrian routing signs headed out of Downtown on the Hawthorne bridge.

Cyclists and pedestrians crossing the Willamette River on the Hawthorne bridge.

Cyclists headed out of Downtown on the Hawthorne bridge.

Leaving the Hawothorne bridge and headed into the Hawthorne district proper, the wide sidepath transitions here into a conventional pedestrian sidewalk and a dedicated on-street bike lane.

Cyclists transitioning to on-street bike lanes off the Hawthorne bridge.

Dedicated bike lane as the Hawthorne bridge exits onto conventional streets.

Headed back into Downtown on Hawthorne, dedicated bike lanes lead to a transition to wide bike/pedestrian side path.

The bike lane & pedestrian path merge on the entrance to the Hawthorne bridge.

Approaching the bike & pedestrian-only lower level of the Steel Bridge from the Eastbank Esplanade.

The bike & pedestrian-only lower level of the Steel Bridge, a recent addition to the impressive 1912 structure.

One sight that is not to be missed in Portland is “bike rush hour,” as commuters head from Downtown to areas like Southeast and Northeast Portland. This Streetfilms video shows bike rush hour on the Hawthorne bridge.

Portland’s bike signage is also quite good. Far from Fort Worth’s current obscure bike route signs (a bicycle icon and a random number do not make clear, effective signage), Portland’s bike signage clearly marks bike infrastructure and gives useful information to cyclists. These signs, for example, appear all over the city. They give directions to destinations along bike routes and even give distance and average bike travel time to bike operators.

Improved bike signage similar to this is a part of the new Bike Fort Worth plan.

Where off-street bike paths meet on-street bike lanes & routes, Portland helps make the transition easy and safe for cyclists. In this StreetFilm, Rex Burkholder from PDOT explains a bike signal at one of the these intersections.

Portland also puts on bike & pedestrian events, such as the Portland Sunday Parkways. Here, six miles of streets are closed for a day to cars and used only by cyclists and pedestrians to create a giant neighborhood street festival.

Events such as these are another item mentioned in the Bike Fort Worth plan.

Here’s a few random bike scenes – this is in the Pearl District.

One of the many cyclists in the near Southeast Portland neighborhoods.

Always bikes around the countless neighborhood cafe/coffee shop hangouts that are sprinkled through every Portland neighborhood, such as the 3 Friends Coffee/Hungry Tiger Too building near the “Vegan District.”

Bikes out and about as evening approaches in the Pearl District.

A cyclist rounds a corner in the Pearl headed to the waterfront.

Parents on Bakfiets in the North Mississippi district.

Cyclists riding south through the Pearl near Jamison Square along the route of the Portland Streetcar.

The bike culture in Portland is truly impressive. Bikes are treated as serious transportation by the city, and as a result of their bike routes, lanes, parking facilities, and other support infrastructure, bicycling as transportation has exploded in Portland in recent years.

What’s encouraging is that while Fort Worth’s present bike plan leaves a lot to be desired, the new Bike Fort Worth plan goes in a very Portland direction, in keeping with the city’s goal of tripling bicycle usage by 2015. It’s a far more equitable attitude on bicycles than Fort Worth has shown in the past, and we can’t wait to see progress made on getting it implemented. Spearheaded by Fort Worth Transportation & Planning’s new senior planner Don Koski, Bike Fort Worth will be a radical upgrade to the city’s bike infrastructure and will give us at least a taste of the kind of bike friendliness that Portland exhibits.

More Portland posts to come, including:

Bicycling
Parks & Plazas
Architecture
Residential Development
Local Businesses
The retail scene in urban Portland
The brewpub culture
The vegan/vegetarian culture
The Ira Keller Fountain, a beautifully restored plaza space designed by Lawrence Halprin, in stark contrast to our own decaying Halprin space, Heritage Park
Food Carts (seriously)

And more.

Apr 22, 2009 20

Fort Worth presents radically improved bicycle plan, aims to triple bicycle travel by 2015

By: Kevin Buchanan

Last night at the Central Library in Downtown Fort Worth, the city showcased a draft of a radically altered and improved bicycle transportation plan called “Bike Fort Worth.” Aiming to replace the rather lacking 1999 bike route plan with a more robust and elaborate system, the city has been working for a year and a half on “Bike Fort Worth,” and the results look impressive.

With “Bike Fort Worth,” the city has laid out ambitious goals: to triple the level of bicycle transportation in the city, to reduce the number of bicycle-related accidents by 1/4, and to attain official designation as a “Bicycle Friendly Community” from the League of American Bicyclists – all by 2015.

With “Bike Fort Worth,” it is clear that the city is making a huge new commitment to the “Complete Streets” movement and that the attitude of planning and transportation at City Hall has truly radically shifted. Now, let’s dive into some of the details of “Bike Fort Worth.”

(Apologies for the weird photos – seating was limited and we were at an angle.)

Some of the challenges identified in “Bike Fort Worth” are our high-speed arterials with no bike provisions, unsafe behavior by both motorists and bicyclists, street design features that are unfriendly to bicycles, missing connections between bike facilities and neighborhoods, and a lack of convenient and safe bike parking & storage at destinations. “Bike Fort Worth” aims to address all of these issues – and let’s start by taking a look at the subject most near and dear to our hearts here at Fort Worthology: bike lanes, routes, and trails.

In the 2007 bicycle survey, the message from respondents was strong: when asked what would encourage residents to bicycle more often, 86% said “bike lanes,” 84% said “new trails,” and 68% said “signed bike routes.” “Bike Fort Worth” addresses all three forms of infrastructure.

The new bicycle transportation system aims to provide links to existing and planned bike facilities in neighboring cities, provide safe bicycle routes along major corridors, identify alternative parallel routes to major arterials too large for safe bicycle accommodation (think six-lane plus designs), fill gaps in bicycle routing and linkages, overcome barriers to bike travel between neighborhoods and destinations, and provide connections to major destinations. Links to transit centers, existing and planned rail stations, the Urban Villages, Downtown Fort Worth, schools, colleges, universities, major employers, the Trinity Trails, and parks and recreation areas are all part of “Bike Fort Worth.”

“Bike Fort Worth” identifies three categories of bike infrastructure and uses them all: on-street striped bicycle-only lanes, on-street bike routes marked with “sharrows,” and off-street trails. Related are several other pieces of bike-friendly infrastructure, including intersections with sensors properly tuned to detect bicycles, bicycle-only traffic signals where trails and on-street facilities cross, and new crossings of barriers such as the Trinity River.

“Bike Fort Worth” proposes a huge increase in the scope and quality of bike infrastructure in the city of Fort Worth. At present, there are approximately 39.6 miles of “sharrow” bike routes, 8.5 miles of striped bicycle-only lanes (including the new Magnolia Avenue “road diet”), 58.4 miles of off-street trails, and 3.9 miles of “sidepaths” (wider sidewalks in situations where bikes-on-sidewalk is appropriate). In all, there are 109.4 miles of bike infrastructure in Fort Worth.

Under “Bike Fort Worth,” our bike infrastructure would be radically increased:

  • Sharrow routes would jump from 39.6 miles to 224.1 miles.
  • Bus-only lanes in Downtown would change to bus & bike-only, for a total of 1.75 miles.
  • Striped bicycle-only lanes would massively increase from 8.5 miles to a truly impressive 475.9 miles.
  • Off-street bike trails would increase from 58.4 miles to 153.3 miles.
  • Sidepaths would increase from 3.9 miles to 43.1 miles.

Total on-street bicycle infrastructure would jump to 704.75 miles, and total off-street would go to 196.4 miles. Truly, this is a paradigm shift in bicycle transportation in the city of Fort Worth.

Highlights of new off-street trails include:

  • New Trinity Trails extensions, connections, and crossings.
  • A new connection between the Trinity and Sycamore trails.
  • Trail Drivers Park to Trinity.
  • New trails along the Trinity Uptown waterfront.

Above is a view showing primarily Downtown, the Cultural District, and the Near Southside. Among the highlights:

  • New dedicated lanes in the Near Southside – at a minimum, the plan wants all of Magnolia from 8th to South Main, all of Rosedale from 8th to South Main, all of Pennsylvania from 12th to South Main, all of Vickery from Adams into the east side of the city, Jennings from Magnolia into Downtown where it joins up with Throckmorton, South Main from Lancaster all the way south to Morningside, Summit from Rosedale to 5th Street in Downtown, 12th Avenue from Pennsylvania to Rosedale, Cooper from 12th Avenue to Summit, and College from Pennsylvania to Rosedale. These dedicated lanes would be supplemented by existing and new “sharrow” routes. We say “at a minimum” because it was made clear that this is the “Bike Fort Worth” minimum and the even greater number of striped lanes in the Near Southside design standards are still available through the Near Southside TIF and other mechanisms.
  • A large network of sharrow routes in Downtown, in a reversal from the previous plan’s position that Downtown was already bike friendly enough.
  • Re-marking the Throckmorton and Houston bus-only lanes in Downtown into bus & bike-only lanes.
  • Dedicated bike lanes on 3rd Street from the east side of Downtown all the way out to East 1st, continuing on to the east from there.
  • Dedicated bike lanes on Sylvania running long-distance from north to south.
  • Dedicated bike lanes on East Lancaster from Downtown to Tennessee.
  • A new sharrow route on Henderson from 5th to Belknap that turns into a dedicated lane from Belknap to White Settlement.
  • Dedicated bike infrastructure on all the new Trinity River Vision bridges at White Settlement, Henderson, and North Main.
  • Dedicated bike lanes on White Settlement from North Main west past Rockwood/Westview.
  • Dedicated bike lanes on Bailey from White Settlement to the big University/7th/Camp Bowie/Bailey intersection.
  • Dedicated bike lanes on Carroll from West 7th to Whitmore, joining a sharrow route from Whitmore to White Settlement by way of Foch.
  • Dedicated bike lanes on Foch from West 7th to Crestline.

A close-up view of Downtown. One of the biggest changes and improvements in “Bike Fort Worth” is the creation of real bike connections between districts in the central city – dedicated bike lanes will carry riders between the Near Southside and Downtown on South Main, Jennings, and Summit. Dedicated bike lanes will also connect to the Cultural District – which we’ll get to in a moment.

Looking further south:

  • A number of new sharrow routes increase connections between existing routes and new bike lanes. A new route more directly connects to Forest Park, for example – a sharrow route will run down Park Place to the trails.
  • New dedicated bike lanes on Forest Park and McCart from Huntington to West Devitt.
  • New sharrow route down Rogers, between Cantey and new dedicated bike lanes on Lovell and West Vickery.
  • New dedicated bike lanes on University, from Cantey heading south past Berry (not shown here but presumably to Bluebonnet Circle at least).
  • New sharrow route on Hartwood, Mockingbird, and Colonial.
  • New dedicated bike lanes on Stadium from Cantey to Berry, then dedicated lanes heading out West on Berry and Bellaire.
  • New dedicated bike lanes on East Allen and East Maddox from I-35 to Comer.
  • New dedicated bike lanes on Nashville.

Also seen here is the long-distance route of the new dedicated bike lanes on Sylvania/Riverside.

In the Cultural District, we see:

  • The previously mentioned dedicated bike lanes on White Settlement, Bailey, Carroll, and Foch.
  • New dedicated bike lanes on Lancaster from Currie to Montgomery right past the museums.
  • A sharrow connection on Lancaster between Currie and Foch.
  • Dedicated bike lanes on Montgomery from West 7th south.
  • New sharrow routes on Crestline, Trinity Park, Cedar Elm, West 7th west of University, Dorothy, Bailey north of White Settlement, Hillcrest, Ashland, El Campo, Byers, Owasso, and Harley west of Montgomery.
  • New dedicated bike lanes on Harley between Montgomery and University through the Will Rogers Memorial Center, joining the sharrow route on a brief stretch of University to Crestline.
  • New dedicated bike lanes on West 7th between the big University/7th/Camp Bowie/Bailey intersection and Lamar in Downtown.

    • The dedicated bike lanes on West 7th are an especially big addition, especially with all the development activity along the street.

    In addition, the plan adds extensive new signage for bike lanes, bike routes, trails, and wayfinding to destinations using the system.

    “Bike Fort Worth” also looks at bicycle parking and storage. The plan calls for the adoption of mandatory bicycle parking requirements in zoning and development plans for new commercial, office, industrial, and multi-family residential development. In addition, the city will implement a “significant” bike rack installation program to radically increase the amount of public bike parking in the city. The plan calls for the placement of bike parking in convenient and logical locations by the main entrances of businesses – not stuck in the back or in the middle of nowhere. “Bike Fort Worth” will also implement preferred bike rack designs, favoring designs like the “inverted U” and “lollipop” racks and discouraging designs like the “wave” and “wheel-bender.” The plan also calls for new parking garages to provide bicycle parking space.

    The plan even has strategies for replacing some on-street car parking with on-street bicycle parking, which allows the parking of a great number of bicycles in the space previously reserved for just one or two cars. A good example is shown in this Streetfilms video about bicycle parking in Portland, Oregon:

    In addition, the plan calls for the construction of a Downtown Bicycle Commuter Station. An example of bicycle commuter parking can be seen in this Streetfilms video about Alewife Station in Cambridge, Massachusetts:

    “Bike Fort Worth” also features extensive education, enforcement, and outreach programs:

    • The plan ties into the national “Safe Routes to School” initiative, encouraging more kids to walk and bike to school.
    • The city plans a “Share the Road” educational campaign to educate Fort Worth drivers and riders on safe, correct motorist/bicyclist interaction.
    • A new, better bike map will be published.
    • The city will participate in National Bike to Work Day and reinstitute the Clean Air Bike Rally.
    • The plan calls for Fort Worth to hold Sunday Parkways – weekend days when sections of road are closed to car traffic and turned over exclusively to bicycle and pedestrian usage.

    The plan for Sunday Parkways is inspired by other such events in more bike-friendly cities, such as Portland, Oregon. This Streetfilms video shows some scenes from Portland’s own Sunday Parkways:

    In addition, the plan calls for changes to street design standards, subdivision standards, and the development review process to ensure bicycle support is “built-in.” The city intends to fully embrace the “Complete Streets” movement and it will be policy that street planning, design, and construction will accommodate bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit users from the very beginning.

    The plan also calls for the city to launch an accurate bicycling count program, and a bicycle-related crash data & reporting program.

    “Bike Fort Worth” is in draft stage and the city is currently accepting public input on the plan. The last of the three public meetings will be tomorrow night at 6:30 PM at LMRA River Pavillion, 3400 Bryant Irvin Road. After the plan is refined based on public input, it’s off to implementation. As said before, the plan’s goal is to triple bicycle travel, reduce bicycle accidents by 1/4, and attain a “Bicycle Friendly Community” rating from the League of American Bicyclists by 2015.

    It’s a radical plan for a city that’s been more slow and measured in the past, but it shows the fundamental shifts in thinking and planning that are occurring at City Hall. Fort Worth is a city that is changing its thinking, and “Bike Fort Worth” is a great example of progress towards creating a more livable, sustainable Fort Worth. We came away from the presentation very impressed indeed – a big thanks to Don Koski, the Senior Planner in Fort Worth’s Transportation and Public Works Department, for putting on the presentation last night.

Mar 31, 2009 15

Magnolia Complete Streets Re-Striping Progress

By: Kevin Buchanan

The biggest part of the Magnolia Avenue complete streets project – the actual re-striping itself – is just about complete. Here, we see the new configuration of the street: bike lanes on the outside, one car lane on each side, and a center turn lane.

I believe there’s still some signage and some other painting to do (I didn’t see any bicycle icons in the bike lanes), but those are fairly small details. Click the photos for a larger view. The portion from about Fairmount to 8th Avenue isn’t complete yet because of some unrelated utility work blocking the street.

Mar 20, 2009 1

Zio Carlo Progress

By: Kevin Buchanan


The former Gunn’s Cleaners building at College & Magnolia in the Near Southside is now under steady work in its conversion to Zio Carlo, the Italian brew pub which will be the building’s new tenant. Shown above is the west side of the building, where a cinder block addition has been demolished for what looks to be a garden dining area. Below, a view of the street facades – the Gunn’s signage hasn’t been replaced yet, but work on the building’s windows is underway, and the overgrown shrubs on the College frontage that constantly blocked the sidewalk have been removed at long last. Click either photo for a bigger view.

Mar 5, 2009 18

Fort Worthology Goes To Dallas

By: Kevin Buchanan

That’s right – Fort Worthology recently spent the day in Big D, with the goal of taking a look at various parts of the city’s urban core, to compare and contrast urbanity in our two cities. We’re not especially big fans of Dallas here, but we’ve tried to be fair. While we’re not going to be above taking a few jabs at the city to the east, we’d also like to point out the good that Dallas has done in their quest for urban rejuvenation, in addition to the challenges still ahead of them. So, let’s smash straight into it, shall we?

We began in the logical place: Downtown Dallas.

Downtown Dallas is big. It’s fairly large in terms of surface area, and it’s tall. Downtown Fort Worth’s tallest building, that depressing slab known as Burnett Plaza, barely challenges Reunion Tower (for the unfamiliar, that’s the Ball on a Stick) in terms of height. It has a big and flashy skyline.

In fact, that’s one thing that always gets talked about when the discussion comes to Downtown Dallas – that skyline. Putting aside my tastes in architectural style, it’s undeniable that the Dallas skyline has a strong presence.

Thing is though, I’ve never been too keen on skylines. Skylines just look pretty, or they look bad. They don’t say anything about what the city actually feels like. Downtown Fort Worth doesn’t have the tallest and most imposing skyline, but it has a wonderful (for the most part) street-level feel. The same can be said of Portland, Oregon, which if anything has even less of a skyline than Fort Worth, but which has an even better streetscape. The skyline might matter to you if you spend your life on the fringe of town looking in. If you’re living in the city, though, what the buildings look like from Loop 12 or I-30 is of little consequence. You’re going to care about what they’re like up close.

And in the case of Dallas…well, let’s take a look.

Read the rest of this entry »

Feb 9, 2009 11

Urban Fort Worth Then & Now – 7th & Houston

By: Kevin Buchanan

Having come across some interesting old photos recently, I thought I’d share them and provide a modern-day view of the same site courtesy of Google Street View. In this view, we’re looking at the southwest corner of 7th & Houston in Downtown. I’m not sure of the exact date, but the car at extreme right is at least a 1949 Ford, so this photo isn’t any older than that.

The building at front & center is 800 Houston, a small Art Deco building that housed a number of businesses. The two most easily identifiable businesses in this photo are Texas & Pacific Railroads, and Russell Stover Candies. The T&P’s office here advertises the Texas Eagle line, which lives on as an Amtrak line. What appears to be “Eckart’s” is next to Russell Stover.

In the background to the right is the Texas Securities Building at 815 Throckmorton, and beyond that is the Fair Building (now called the Commerce Building). In the background on the left is the back of the W. T. Waggoner Building.

Unfortunately, the present-day scene shows the fate of both 800 Houston and the Texas Securities Building:


View Larger Map

XTO Energy demolished 800 Houston in September 1997, and the Texas Securities Building in January 1998. The former sites of the buildings are now a parking lot that wraps around the W. T. Waggoner Building.

It’s probably no secret which view I prefer. While I’m glad XTO has saved so many historic buildings, they’ve demolished their fair share as well, and those parking lots will remain dead spaces in the urban fabric until they’re redeveloped.

This photo also features another element of urban Fort Worth that’s lacking today compared to the past – signage. Just look at that Calvert’s sign. I miss big signs, and ads painted on the backs of buildings, and the great old neon signs like what looks to be a T&P sign at the corner of 800 Houston. Several of the latest signs in Sundance Square have the right idea, but there’s still a ways to go compared to the signage of old. You might think the old signage messy, a visual clutter. Personally, I think they added life to urban streets that has been missing since they disappeared. Cheap plastic cabinet signs and vinyl banners don’t have the same liveliness.

Jan 9, 2009 13

Museum Place – Progress Report

By: Kevin Buchanan

At Museum Place, I’m just about ready to call the “Flatiron” building finished. It’s got a striking profile along the street – and from inside the Modern, as well.

The mixed-use 7-Eleven/condo building at 7th & Arch Adams has finished, and 7-Eleven’s Corner Store is now open. A big improvement from the 7-Eleven gas station that used to occupy the other corner!

In One Museum Place, Eddie V’s Seafood has its signage up and is approaching its opening date. Looks like some work is underway especially on the plaza & presumed outdoor seating area in front of the restaurant. EDIT: Eddie V’s will be opening on the 26th, and will not only feature outdoor seating, but a outdoor fire pit as well. Thanks, Lauren!

The new Post Office across Bailey from One Museum Place is open, and the thunderstorm mural behind the tornado poles is almost complete at last. It’s quite an interesting sight now, and a wonderful use of the old billboard poles damaged by the 2000 tornado.

Dec 19, 2008 Comments Off

Omni Hotel & City Parking Garage

By: Kevin Buchanan

It’s been a little while since we checked in on the progress of the Omni Hotel & Condos, and the new city parking garage next door, in Downtown. Since our last visit, the Omni has really been moving quickly towards completion. As seen above, about the only thing left on the condo tower portion of the building (on the exterior, at least) is the completion of balconies.

The Omni Hotel signage is now going up as well. I’ve also heard from a few sources that the building may have a more elaborate night lighting scheme than originally intended – perhaps even including the backlighting of the building’s glass crown, similar to the Pier 1/Chesapeake Energy building.

Next door, the new city parking garage has made rapid progress as well. You can see the brick and stone portions of the facade are very complete, and work is beginning to turn to the glass corners and the heavily ornamented parts of the Houston and Throckmorton facades.

On the Houston facade, the framing in the center is where the tall black columns, inspired by the Public Safety & Courts/former City Hall building, will be installed.

The Art Deco-inspired Throckmorton facade is making good progress as well. This side will be finished out with giant multicolored glass fins projecting out from the facade.

Also on the Throckmorton side, one of the colored glass corners is being installed as well.

If you’re thinking the Houston and Throckmorton facades of the parking garage look like they have storefronts, that’s because they do – both side will feature ground-floor retail. Vehicular entrances and exits will be on the side streets.

The Omni Hotel itself is supposed to open by the end of the year, and the condos in January, based on the last timeline I was told. They’re definitely putting in the work to get the building finished out. It’s made a dramatic impact on the Fort Worth skyline and even though I’m more of a traditional architecture sort, I have to say I really like the way the Omni has turned out.

Nov 14, 2008 10

Museum Place & West 7th Updates

By: Kevin Buchanan

At Museum Place, the Flatiron building is really coming together. I expect it won’t be too much longer before this one’s complete.

Further into the development, the 7-Eleven signage is going up on the 7-Eleven Corner Store/condo building at 7th & Arch Adams, including the partially neon variant on the left.

In the West 7th development, the office building at 7th & Foch is getting some facade work. It must be said that this does not appear to be the most attractive building – simple horizontal bands of windows set into concrete panels. Perhaps it’ll get a little better as it finishes.

Further into the development, these two buildings (which will be apartments over retail) are progressing upward as well. I’m glad the street wasn’t widened through here – with these buildings at their full height (which should be five stories), there will be a good sense of enclosure here.

Across Currie, the building which will house things like the Movie Tavern Premiere and Lucky Strike Lanes has made a lot of progress as well.

Oct 3, 2008 9

Scenes From Seattle – South Lake Union Streetcar And Development

By: Joel Burns

Here are some photos from today’s excursion on Seattle’s South Lake Union Streetcar. Here, we’re boarding at one of the stops.

Showing support… (note from Kevin: I’m honestly very flattered by your Fort Worthology shirt. Thanks!)

Here, we’re at Vulcan Real Estate, Paul Allen’s development company in South Lake Union, as we’re shown examples of new developments along the streetcar line.

Some of the signage near a streetcar stop.

Here’s an example of one of the many new mixed-use developments that have sprung up along the streetcar line.

And here’s another. This new residential/retail building is nearing completion. There are many new developments along the streetcar’s path.

Jul 31, 2008 5

August Downtown Design Review Board Agenda

By: Kevin Buchanan

AGENDA
DOWNTOWN DESIGN REVIEW BOARD
August 7, 2008 at 1:00 P.M.
Pre-Council Chamber, 2nd Floor City Hall
1000 Throckmorton Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76102

I. WORK SESSION Pre-Council Chamber, 2nd Floor City Hall 12 NOON

EXECUTIVE SESSION:
Deliberate the deployment or specific occasions for implementation of security personnel or devices in accordance with Section 551.076 of the Texas Government Code.

A. DISCUSSION OF THE PROPOSAL TO WIDEN THE SIDEWALKS ON HOUSTON AND THROCKMORTON AROUND THE OMNI
B. REVIEW OF CASES ON TODAY’S AGENDA
C. DISCUSSION OF FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

Read the rest of this entry »

Jul 11, 2008 6

This Month's Downtown Design Review Board Agenda

By: Kevin Buchanan

The DDRB has posted their agenda for July’s meeting, and here are the cases they will be reviewing:

  • 609 Houston Street; Durty Murphy’s
    Owner/Applicant: Trey Murphy/Michael Luscri

    Requests a Certificate of Appropriateness to:
    1. Add six (6) 3-foot by 8-foot French doors to the 2nd story front of building;
    2. Add 4-foot by 17-foot exterior balcony with wrought iron railing;
    3. Add signage, pendant lights, control joints, stucco, lanterns, EIFS trim, wood beams, and brackets; and
    4. Replace the aluminum storefront at lower level.

  • 100 Pier 1 Place; Chesapeake Energy Sign
    Owner/Applicant: Chesapeake Energy Corportation/ASI Modulex

    Requests a Certificate of Appropriateness to install an internally illuminated monument sign.

  • 505 Pecan Street; Tindall Square
    Owner/Applicant: N3 Capital/FJLC Associates

    Requests a Certificate of Appropriateness to modify building facades and replace signage.

  • 714 Main Street; 714 Main Street
    Owner/Applicant: XTO Energy/KHK Group LLD

    Requests a Certificate of Appropriateness to restore the facades as close as possible to their initial 1920′s design and modify to meet the current codes requirements.

  • 1011 Commerce Street; Sidewalk Improvements along 1100 Blk Commerce St.
    Owner/Applicant: City of Fort Worth/Downtown Fort Worth, Inc.

    Requests a Certificate of Appropriateness to install additional streetscape elements on the east side of Commerce Street, approximately one block north of 12th Street.

  • 1601 Commerce Street; Shula’s Grill Awnings
    Owner/Applicant: Presidio Hotel Group/Chandler Signs

    Requests a Certificate of Appropriateness to install black fabric awnings.

  • 221 W. Lancaster Avenue; T&P Building Lighting
    Owner/Applicant: T&P Lofts Homeowners Association/Pamela Jaussi

    Requests a Certificate of Appropriateness to install:
    1. Twelve (12) halide flood fixtures in groups of three on the protruding points to be directed at the domes; and
    2. 300-feet (150 per side) of aluminum channel lighting with lamps on 6-inch spacing to be mounted on top of parapet wall.

  • 570 Throckmorton Street; The Vault
    Owner/Applicant: Pariz Jazz Inc./RPGA Architects Design Group

    Requests a Certificate of Appropriateness to continue use of an outdoor seating area with decorative metal railings and umbrella tables and to relocate the corner blade sign.

  • 100 Main Street; Regions Bank
    Owner/Applicant: Willow Creek Signs

    Requests a Certificate of Appropriateness to install 16-inch internally illuminated channel letters with a 27-inch logo on the North, South, and West elevations.

  • 1111 W. Lancaster Avenue; Holiday Inn Express Temporary Banners
    Owner/Applicant: Fort Worth D Partners

    Requests a Certificate of Appropriateness to install temporary signs for a period of 6-months.

  • 1111 W. Lancaster Avenue; Holiday Inn Express Signage
    Owner/Applicant: Fort Worth D Partners/Chandler Signs

    Requests a Certificate of Appropriateness to install:
    1. An internally illuminated sign and logo on the East elevation;
    2. An internally illuminated sign and logo on the South elevation; and
    3. An internally illuminated double-faced pylon sign and logo on the North side of the building.

  • 421 W. 3rd Street; Comerica Bank
    Owner/Applicant: Sundance Square Management/The Projects Group

    Requests a Certificate of Appropriateness to install:
    1. Blue awnings over storefront door and windows with white “Comerica Bank” logo on each;
    2. Blade signs at corner and on building between storefront and ATM.

  • 111 W. 4th Street; Simply Fondue Sign
    Owner/Applicant: Sundance Square Management/The Projects Group

    Requests a Certificate of Appropriateness to install white reverse channel lettering 18-inch in height to read “SIMPLY FONDUE” on existing green sign band.

  • 505 Main Street; Capital One
    Owner/Applicant: Sundance Square Management/The Projects Group

    Requests a Certificate of Appropriateness to replace existing Capital One signage face with new face.

Jun 2, 2008 Comments Off

Magnolia Avenue Facelift Begins This Summer – Bike Lanes Possible

By: Kevin Buchanan

Magnolia Avenue will be getting a makeover beginning this summer. Funding has been approved to commence the project. Phase 1 will see the replacement of rotting bench slats with more durable wood, removal of weeds and dead trees, planting of new trees in empty tree wells, a five-year maintenance plan, and the installation of new “Welcome to the Near Southside” banners all along the street between Jennings and 8th Avenue. Later this year, Phase 2 will get underway. This will see repair of all damaged sidewalks and installation of better looking trash cans.

Beyond the makeover phases, Fort Worth South, Inc. is working with the city and business owners to discuss a complete re-striping of Magnolia which would turn it into a true “complete street.” The plan would narrow the traffic lanes and mark a monumental step forward for urban Fort Worth – the installation of the city’s first dedicated on-street bike lanes. The closest the city has come thus far has been the bike route program on the south side which saw the installation of numbered bike route signage and “sharrows” (icons and arrows on the street that designate them as places of shared traffic), but this proposal would actually give us separate bicycle-only lanes on Magnolia. This would be a huge step forward for the city and I hope this comes to fruition. I’ll report more on the plans for Magnolia as I learn of them.

Linklog

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