Aug 30, 2010 0

Near Southside Bike Parking Improvement Plan Update

By: Kevin Buchanan

Things are progressing steadily on Phase One of the Near Southside Bike Parking Improvement Plan, a joint venture between us here at Fort Worthology, Fort Worth South, Inc., and Trinity Bicycles.  I thought I’d give everybody an update as to how things are going.

For those not familiar with the project, the Near Southside Bike Parking Improvement Plan was born from Fort Worth South’s desire to make the Near Southside a model of bike friendliness in Fort Worth.  This has already led to projects like the Magnolia Avenue bike lanes, and there are more bike lane projects in the pipeline.  Bike lanes are just one component of bike friendliness, though, and it’s also very important to have safe, secure, and easy-to-use parking for bikes at destinations across the district.  There were some racks already in place, but they were the city’s own “Texas Star” lollipop-style racks, which suffered from a couple of flaws:  one, there’s very few of them (something like ten or twelve in the entire district), and two, they don’t immediately look like bike racks, instead resembling some kind of old-timey Texas heritage street art.

Clearly, there was room for improvement, so Fort Worth South got with us at Fort Worthology and the guys at Trinity Bicycles to come up with a plan to make things better for bikes in the Near Southside.  Together, we identified numerous destinations across the district, concentrating for Phase One on Magnolia Avenue (a designated Urban Village and home of the district’s most celebrated collection of destinations), Jennings Avenue (a designated Bike Route, potential location of new bike lanes, and an important connector with Downtown Fort Worth) and South Main Street (another important connector, as well as a designated Urban Village in the beginnings of revitalization).  The plan was to use a simple, easy-to-use, and instantly identifiable rack design (the classic “staple” rack, seen in the photo above), and provide multiple racks at each location to give plenty of bike parking at popular stops and redeveloping sites, supporting the Near Southside’s existing bike culture as well as encouraging more people to get out on two wheels and explore the district.

With funding in place from the Near Southside TIF District, things have been progressing steadily.  We recently walked all the locations with our contractor, AUI Contractors, and marked out the final physical locations of all the racks, one of the last steps before installation can begin.  During the course of setting the locations of the racks, it was discovered that we actually had more room in several spots than expected, so we are happy to announce that we’ve picked up an additional ten rack installations, with the expected final count for Phase One now running just over 80 new racks.  These will be grouped to provide parking for multiple bikes at each location.  The lowest-demand locations will get two racks (parking for four bikes), most locations will get three racks (parking for six bikes), and a few high-demand locations will get at least five racks (parking for ten bikes) up to seven racks (parking for fourteen bikes).

Further, Saris Racks, the company we’re ordering the racks through, is so excited about the project that they’ve given us an upgrade from powder-coated to galvanized racks.  This will means that the Near Southside racks will be incredibly durable and weather-resistant.  (All the racks will be black.)

The first batch of racks should be in within a few weeks, so it won’t be much longer before you start to see some pretty dramatic bike parking improvements happening in the Near Southside.

Aug 18, 2010 Comments Off

BizPress on Trinity Bicycles

By: Kevin Buchanan

Bike shop caters to commuter-cyclist – Fort Worth Business Press.  Nice story about the Near Southside’s Trinity Bicycles.  Kudos to the Business Press for A) using “Near Southside” rather than “Hospital District” (the Star-Telegram still has trouble with that one) and B) for the mention of our bike parking project.

Aug 13, 2010 Comments Off

Yoga for Cyclists This Sunday

By: Kevin Buchanan

Yoga for Cyclists resumes this Sunday! New time, same place. |.  Yoga for Cyclists returns to Trinity Bicycles on South Main in the Near Southside this Sunday at 3:00 PM.

Jul 21, 2010 6

Near Southside Bike Parking Improvement Plan Progress

By: Kevin Buchanan

You may recall that not long ago, we announced a major new bike parking improvement plan for the Near Southside.  This project is near and dear to our hearts, because we’re directly part of it – the Near Southside Bike Parking Improvement Plan is a joint venture of Fort Worth South, Inc., Trinity Bicycles, and Fort Worthology.

We’ve selected numerous sites across the Near Southside for a dramatic increase in available bike parking.  Phase One is funded and the city’s already on-board, and now we’ve made some more progress.

We met recently with our contractor, Fort Construction, to do measurements for the installation.  Trinity Bicycles made a template of the rack mounts, and we chalked out the dimensions of the rack groupings, using the sidewalk in front of Spiral Diner as our test case.  As mentioned before, the racks that will be installed are simple “staple” racks, more cost-effective and more immediately recognizable as bike racks than the long-standing Texas-star “lollipop” racks previously installed by the city.

While we’re not completely ready to announce how many racks will be installed in Phase One total, it’s looking like our initial estimates are going to be pretty close, so there is going to be a huge increase in bike parking for the Near Southside.  The desire, subject to final figures and site-specific considerations, is to have a minimum of three racks at each location, and up to five racks in higher-demand spots.  That’ll mean parking for 6-10 bikes per location, at a wide range of popular Near Southside destinations.  We’re also going to save the lollipop racks and are looking into using them to fill out some lower-demand parts of the district later on.

With our contractor on-board, we’re also starting to order the racks themselves, and are in process of getting permits with the city.  We’re hoping that it won’t be much longer before you’ll start to see some great new bike parking infrastructure going up all over the Near Southside.

We’re really thrilled to be a part of this project, and can’t wait to show how things progress.

Jul 20, 2010 2

Fort Worth Cyclists Headed to Dallas for Group Ride Tonight

By: Kevin Buchanan

Here’s a fun bit of bike news for you:  local bike shop Trinity Bicycles is organizing a group ride that will use the Trinity Railway Express to head to Dallas tonight to meet up with a group ride there.

The Fort Worthians will meet at Trinity’s shop (207 South Main, in the ground floor of the historic Sawyer building in the Near Southside’s South Main Village area) at 5:30 tonight and ride over to the station to hop on the TRE.  Upon arriving at Union Station in Dallas, they’ll be meeting up with the “Tits Tuesday” group ride, described thusly by organizer Alicia Pol:

Started by myself and 2 other local fixed gear girls, Tits Tuesday is meant to not only promote bicycle advocacy, but to get women out on their bikes. According to some article I stumbled across a few months back, a thriving bicycle community is measured by how many women and children ride their bikes. Better yet on a regular basis. And if we’re lucky, off of the sidewalk. So let me ask you – how many women do you see off of the White Rock or Katy Trails? How many do you see commuting?

Again, the Fort Worth contingent meets tonight at 5:30 PM to head onto the TRE.  After the ride in Dallas, they’re hoping to have some time to grab a beer with their Dallasite friends before catching the TRE at Union Station to head back to Fort Worth at 10:20 PM.

You can find out more about this ride by visiting its Facebook event page.

Jul 8, 2010 5

Potential Streetcar Alignments Being Studied

By: Kevin Buchanan

The city has released some documents from HDR, Inc.’s current planning work on Fort Worth’s modern streetcar system, and one of the documents gives some more depth, information, and details on the potential starter alignments being considered and how they’re being measured.  It’s important to note that at this stage of planning, the routes are not set in stone.  There are several potential starter routes for the first phase of the modern streetcar system, and each is being evaluated according to a set of criteria.  The end result might be one of these lines, or it might be a combination of parts of lines.  These answers will come from the study currently underway by HDR, Inc. that is providing a blueprint for our modern streetcar system.  This information comes from publicly-available planning documents posted to the City of Fort Worth’s official streetcar project web site, available as a PDF at the following link:  DRAFT Technical Memorandum – Alignment Refinement.

The criteria that the potential starter routes are being measured against come from factors in successful streetcar systems in other cities, and the goals and issues that a Fort Worth solution could be designed to address.  The criteria are focused on improving the development and mobility situation in Downtown and its surrounding neighborhoods.  They reflect the objectives of the project as told to HDR, based on meetings with City of Fort Worth officials and staff, organizations like Downtown Fort Worth, Inc. and Fort Worth South, Inc., and the city’s Modern Streetcar Task Force.

The sort of criteria that these routes are being measured against include:

  • Existing and anticipated population in the alignment corridor
  • Existing and anticipated employment in the alignment corridor
  • Major destinations served
  • Developable land
  • Potential yield from TIF and other locally-generated sources
  • Assessed value base
  • Compatibility with city and TIF district plans
  • Relative lack of engineering or traffic management constraints
  • Estimated ridership
  • Capital and operating costs
  • Public and stakeholder support

The following routes are being screened against these criteria.  Each is being analyzed as a potential stand-alone Phase 1 of the streetcar system.  It’s expected that, once the evaluations are complete, potential combinations of these lines could also emerge as a starter project, but the initial evaluation is of each route alone.  Note also that these descriptions are of the starter routes and do not include potential extensions to each route.

You’ll note that most of the lines include several segments that are the same as the other lines.  HDR’s plans showcase how the starter lines can build together over time into a network, and how they can share most of the same trackage in Downtown.

Click on the routes for a larger view.

West 7th

The West 7th alignment is 3.0 miles end-to-end.  From the Intermodal Transportation Center at 9th & Jones, the line heads westbound on 9th to Commerce, where it turns northbound and heads to 6th.  At 6th, the line turns westbound on 6th to Cherry, where it makes a slight right to merge from westbound 6th to westbound 7th.  The line heads westbound on 7th to Montgomery, where it then heads southbound to Camp Bowie, the terminus of the line.  It heads back into Downtown using the same route – northbound on Montgomery, then eastbound on 7th – until it reaches Henderson.  At Henderson, the line turns northbound on Henderson, then eastbound on 3rd.  After heading eastbound on 3rd, the line turns southbound on Calhoun before turning eastbound on 9th to go one block to the terminus at 9th & Jones at the ITC.

North Main

The North Main alignment is 1.4 miles end-to-end.  From the Intermodal Transportation Center at 9th & Jones, the line heads westbound on 9th to Commerce, where it turns northbound.  It heads northbound on Commerce through Belknap & Weatherford and makes the merge onto North Main past the Tarrant County Courthouse.  The line crosses the Paddock Viaduct (North Main bridge) where it is then envisioned that it would be integrated into the Trinity Uptown master plan.  One option, shown here, would have the line turn onto a reconstructed Commerce and head north before turning westbound on NE 6th and then southbound on North Main to head back to Downtown.  Once across the Paddock Viaduct, the line would merge from the bridge onto southbound Houston and continue southbound to 3rd, where it would turn eastbound and head to Calhoun.  At Calhoun, the line would turn southbound and head to 9th, turning eastbound on 9th to go one block to the terminus at 9th & Jones at the ITC.

Trinity Bluffs

The Trinity Bluffs alignment is 1.4 miles end-to-end.  From the Intermodal Transportation Center at 9th & Jones, the line heads westbound on 9th to Commerce, where it turns and heads northbound to 6th.  At 6th, the line turns westbound and heads to 7th, where it heads further westbound to Henderson.  It turns and heads northbound on Henderson to 3rd, where it turns and runs eastbound.  Upon reaching Pecan, the line turns northbound and heads to Bluff, then eastbound to Samuels.  It runs northbound on Samuels to the Cold Springs intersection, the terminus of the line.  It then heads back to Downtown via Samuels, Bluff, and Pecan.  At Pecan & 4th, it turns and heads westbound to Calhoun.  The line then runs southbound on Calhoun to 9th, turning eastbound on 9th to go one block to the terminus at 9th & Jones at the ITC.

Near Southside – Jennings Option

There are two potential Near Southside alignments being considered at this time.  This is the Jennings option, which is 2.0 miles end-to-end.  The Jennings option heads southbound on Houston from 3rd.  At 9th, the line cuts over to Throckmorton headed southbound, then further over to Jennings.  It heads southbound on Jennings past Lancaster and under the railroad tracks and I-30, continuing southbound on Jennings to Pennsylvania.  The line then heads westbound on Pennsylvania to Henderson, turning southbound on Henderson to Terrell.  The line turns westbound on Terrell to 6th Avenue, the terminus of the line.  It heads back into Downtown eastbound and northbound via the same route – Terrell, Henderson, Pennsylvania, and Jennings – before reaching Throckmorton and heading northbound to 3rd, heading eastbound on 3rd back to Houston to head back to the Near Southside.  It is important to note that the Jennings option does not directly serve the ITC, but provides a connection to the TRE and the future SW2NE train at the Texas & Pacific Station.

Near Southside – South Main Option

The second potential Near Southside alignment is the South Main option, which is 3.2 miles end-to-end.  This alignment leaves the Intermodal Transportation Center at 9th & Jones heading westbound on 9th.  It turns and heads northbound on Commerce then westbound on 6th.  It then turns and heads southbound on Houston, crossing Lancaster, the railroad tracks, and I-30 then merging southbound onto South Main.  The line heads southbound on South Main to Magnolia.  It turns and heads westbound on Magnolia to 7th Avenue, where it turns northbound and heads to Terrell, the terminus of the line.  It heads back into Downtown via the same route – 7th Avenue, Magnolia, and South Main – then turns eastbound towards Jones after crossing the railroad tracks, I-30, and Lancaster.  It then turns northbound on Jones and heads back to the ITC at 9th & Jones, where it would then turn westbound onto 9th to head back out.

Near Southside & Rosedale/East Side – Rosedale Alignment

The Rosedale line is 2.2 miles end-to-end.  It leaves the Intermodal Transportation Center at 9th & Jones heading westbound on 9th.  It turns and heads northbound on Commerce then westbound on 6th.  It then turns and heads southbound on Houston, crossing Lancaster, the railroad tracks, and I-30 then merging southbound onto South Main.  The line heads southbound on South Main to Rosedale.  It turns eastbound on Rosedale to Evans, which is the terminus of the line.  It heads back into Downtown via the same route – Rosedale and South Main – then turns eastbound towards Jones after crossing the railroad tracks, I-30, and Lancaster.  It then turns northbound on Jones and heads back to the ITC at 9th & Jones, where it would then turn westbound onto 9th to head back out.

Again, let us stress that these alignment options are still being measured against the design criteria.  The exact starter alignment has not yet been selected, and may in fact be a combination of elements of multiple alignments.  We’ll have more as the study by HDR continues.  For more information on this process, head to the City of Fort Worth’s official streetcar project web site, where this data is available to the public as a PDF at the following link:  DRAFT Technical Memorandum – Alignment Refinement.

Jun 23, 2010 Comments Off

Three Bits of Bike News and Events – Trinity Trail Chicanes, Critical Mass, Group Ride to Burger’s Lake

By: Kevin Buchanan

Three pieces of bike related news & events to share:

  1. Rejoice, Trinity Trails users – the metal chicane gates blocking access to the Trinity Trails from the University bridge trail in the University/Rogers Road area have, apparently, been removed, according to word from the Trinity River Vision folks.  The gates were installed after the large trail reconstruction that removed a blind spot under the bridge wound up creating two new blind spots at the linkage between the trails, but the TRV tells us those new blind spots have been fixed as well, so the chicane gates (designed to slow bikes entering from the bridge) are gone.  Anybody able to confirm?
  2. A new, improved version of Critical Mass has returned to Fort Worth.  This Friday, June 25th, meet up at Burnett Park in Downtown at 7:00 PM for a group ride to showcase Fort Worth’s burgeoning bike culture.  They’re hoping to have 100 bikes for the ride.  The organizers are stressing that this is not the sort of Critical Mass that has caused trouble in other cities – they’re wanting this to be a friendly and fun group ride to raise awareness of bicycle transportation in Fort Worth.
  3. Trinity Bicycles in the Near Southside is putting on a group ride to Burger’s Lake, this Saturday, June 26th.  They’re going to leave from the bike shop (207 South Main) around 10:00 AM on a 12-mile ride to everybody’s favorite local spring-fed lake.  Burger’s Lake admission is $12 per person, with a reduced rate for kids under 7.

Jun 21, 2010 4

Major New Near Southside Bike Parking Improvements on the Way

By: Kevin Buchanan

It’s not everyday that we get to report on something we actually had a hand in, but today is one of those days.  Fort Worth South, Inc. wanted to improve the bike parking situation in the Near Southside as part of their larger goal of huge bike infrastructure improvements across the district, and they decided they wanted some outside help.  So, they called us and Trinity Bicycles up and asked if we’d collaborate on a new bike parking improvement plan.  After a lot of discussion, many meetings, and several in-the-field work sessions identifying parking locations, ideal setups, and more, we put together a comprehensive bike parking plan.  Now, we’re happy to report, Phase One of the plan has been approved by the city and funded by the Near Southside TIF (Tax Increment Finance district), so we can give some details.

While we’re still finalizing the number of racks and such, we can say that this will be a pretty dramatic increase in bike parking, even in Phase One.  At the moment, there are approximately 12 of the city-installed Texas star “lollipop” racks across the entire district.  Most of them are on Magnolia Avenue, with two or three on 8th.  Even in the best of cases, the Texas star racks are less than ideal – they look more like street art than bike racks, making them not obvious to riders, and there are simply too few of them and in too few locations.  With the large increases in bike traffic in the Near Southside in the last year or so, thanks to the Magnolia Avenue bike lanes, groups like the Night Riders, and a continued increase in new urban residents, the existing bike parking infrastructure was becoming very inadequate to meet resident and visitor needs.

As mentioned above, we’re still finalizing all the numbers, so we can’t give a specific number yet, but we’re fairly confident that you can look forward to dozens of new racks in Phase One.  Phase One will see new racks installed on Magnolia, Jennings, and South Main at a wide range of popular destinations.  Each location will have multiple racks, with the number determined by current and projected future demand.  The plan calls for simple “staple” racks, such as these:

These are cost-effective, easy to use, and instantly identifiable as bike racks.  They’ll be installed right near the main entrances of destinations across the district.  We hope that this will not only better serve the Near Southside’s existing bike culture, but also encourage more people to ride their bikes in the district, as well as serve as a model for the city on effective bike parking infrastructure (something not very well understood in Fort Worth, for the most part).

As things progress, we’ll update everybody on how the plan is going, especially once we have a final rack count and all the locations finalized.  With city approval and TIF funding in place, we’re getting closer to seeing the new racks being installed across the district.

Jun 4, 2010 4

Friday Bike Links

By: Kevin Buchanan

Some links for things happening in the bicycle world.

Social Cycling Week 2 Roundup – Let’s Go Ride A Bike

Hearing how much fun everyone is having simply by riding bikes makes us so happy. See for yourself by checking out the pictures below. We encourage you to click on the links to read the full stories, visit the participants’ blogs, deepen the dialogue and spread the bike love!

Life By Bike – Portlandize

During the Farmers Market season, we make it a weekend tradition to ride over to our local farmers market in Irvington neighborhood every Sunday, and get some breakfast along the way. This year we’ve also discovered the market in the Hollywood neighborhood, which is almost as close to us, is on Saturday, and has a notably different selection of vendors, so we’ve decided to start frequenting both. Farmers market weekends! Fresh, delicious food, supporting local community and economy, and often there’s good pre-made food to be eaten at the markets as well.

Cargo Bike Moments – Copenhagen Cycle Chic

A few shots from the rich cargo bike culture in Copenhagen.

And from our local shops:

Peterboro Baskets – Trinity Bicycles

As you might have guessed from our love of Brooks Saddles, we have a soft spot for quality, handmade products with a history. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that such products are often superior to their modern counterparts, simply because their makers haven’t succumbed to the cost-cutting pressures of an increasingly global society.

That’s why we were really excited to be visited by a representative of the Peterboro Basket Company this week. This wasn’t just any company representative, though… she was a member of the family who has been making these fine baskets by hand since 1854.

Chair Massage This Saturday – Panther City Bicycles

This Saturday 6-5-10 at Panther City Bicycles from 11:00-4:00pm we will have a very special guest:  Amanda Powers, licensed massage therapist.

Apr 29, 2010 2

Photos From Path Less Pedaled At Trinity Bicycles

By: Kevin Buchanan

Russ and Laura from PathLessPedaled.com stopped in Fort Worth on their cross-country bike ride, and set up shop at Trinity Bicycles in South Main Village in the Near Southside for a presentation of lessons they’ve learned, stories they’ve found, and photos they’ve taken on the meandering journey they’ve been on from Portland, OR through the United States.  The presentation was a lot of fun, talking about how they’ve adjusted to a new life on the road and about all the interesting people they’ve met along the way.  There was even a video with a song by a man they met somewhere during the trip, set to photos and video taken while on the move.  After the presentation, Russ and Laura did a Q&A with the audience, taking all sorts of questions from “what’s your staple food?” to “how do you maintain the web site while out in the wilderness?”

And what  an audience it was.  If there was any doubt that Fort Worth is at last developing a real bike culture of its own, seeing the crowd gathered at Trinity Bicycles should put that to rest.  The shop was packed with bike fans of all ages and backgrounds (including families).  In fact, we’ve learned that this was the largest presentation that Russ and Laura have done thus far – 103 attendees!  After the presentation had concluded, before they moved into the Q&A, the audience gave Russ and Laura a wild, loud round of cheers and applause, which got even more excited when Russ compared the Fort Worth crowd to the Austin crowd they’d spoken to before:

Wow, you guys kicked Austin’s ass!

All in all, it was a very informative and entertaining show, and we wish Russ and Laura continued good luck on their incredible cross-country bike expedition.  Make sure to check out their site, PathLessPedaled.com.

Also a treat to see last night: the sheer number of bicycles in attendance, which were lashed to signs and light posts.  It shows nicely the need for more, better bicycle parking in Fort Worth under the Bike Fort Worth plan:

Many thanks to our friends at Trinity Bicycles for getting Russ & Laura to give Fort Worth a chance to see their presentation.  To view more images, click the thumbnails below.

Apr 20, 2010 8

Citizen Theater Coming To South Main

By: Kevin Buchanan

Fort Worthians who have been pining for an indie art house movie theater for urban Fort Worth have cause to celebrate, for it is now official: the city’s first such theater, the Citizen, is headed to the Near Southside. Owners Amy McNutt and James Johnston (of Spiral Diner and local indie film scene fame) have got a big, very cool announcement for us.

The Citizen has posted on their blog that they finally have their building. The theater will be located at 701 South Main, not far from the former Motheral Printing site where a major mixed-use development is being planned (and also just around the corner from the Rahr brewery – and not far down the road from the other end of South Main Village with the Sawyer apartments, Miller Lofts, and Landers Machine Shop Gallery). The building (seen in its current state in the photo below), according to our info, dates from around 1939 and has been vacant for some time. Given some of the things we’ve heard discussed about the Citizen, we are really looking forward to seeing the building progress.

The Citizen will be a twin-screen theater showing new art house and classic repertory films. Naturally, it’ll come equipped with a vegan snack bar.

For more info on the Citizen (we know they’re interested in investors), check their web site at thecitizentheater.com

Apr 16, 2010 1

Trinity Bicycles Sneak Preview Tonight

By: Kevin Buchanan

Tonight marks the not-quite-Grand-Opening-more-like-Sneak-Preview of the Near Southside’s newest bike shop, Trinity Bicycles.  To celebrate, they’re inviting everybody to come to the shop at 207 S. Main (ground floor of the Sawyer Building apartments, next door to Robert Kelly Architects) for a night of fun and beer, as well as the Lonestar Goldsprints.  What are the Goldsprints?  They’re a league of stationary bike racers.  The way it works is that there’s a setup of stationary bikes, and people ride in competition.  Large screens are set up behind them, showing how far each rider has gone on the stationary bike.  The audience shouts encouragement and other helpful/non-helpful participation, since the competitors can’t see the screens.

The best part is that you can compete – registration starts tonight at 6:00 PM and racing starts not long after.  So, stop by Trinity Bicycles tonight to get a sneak preview of our newest local bike shop and to watch/participate in the Goldsprints.  Hope to see a lot of folks turn out.

Apr 6, 2010 Comments Off

Local Business For The Streetcar

By: Kevin Buchanan

Our friends at Trinity Bicycles, the new bike shop in South Main Village in the Near Southside, have written their own letter of support for the modern streetcar project and have posted it on their site.  Here it is:

As you all know, one of our biggest missions here at Trinity Bicycles is increasing the viable transportation options for our neighbors here in Fort Worth. Obviously, we think bikes should play a big role in Fort Worth’s transportation future.

We’re not solely pro-bike, though. We’ve been around long enough to know that all alternative (read: non-car) transportation options tend to fare better when they are interconnected, plentiful, and even somewhat redundant.

That’s why we want to ask everyone who believes that our city needs more and varied transportation alternatives to show up at tomorrow’s (ed. – That would be tonight’s meeting now) Fort Worth City Council meeting at 7 p.m. to show your support for the City’s modern streetcar plan.

The vote to hire transportation super-planners HDR (they worked on Portland’s system) was supposed to happen 2 weeks ago, but it was postponed until tomorrow evening, and there was some rumbling that the political winds may have been shifting and the plan might not get funded.

Word today is that the vote is likely to be successful after all, but it is not something we as citizens should leave to chance. We need to make it clear to our elected officials that their constituents want real choices on how they move about their city. Please come help us fill the council chambers with streetcar supporters, and thereby help the Mayor and City Council feel good about their decision to vote to fund the planning phase of the streetcar project. And of course, having a crowd visibly supportive of a Streetcar system might come in handy just in case any votes are wavering tomorrow night.

We know it must seem scary for a city council member to vote to spend a large amount of money on a project that will take years to come to fruition. But the truth is, as a city, we just can’t afford not to take this step. We are being left behind every day we do not move forward with bringing our transportation system into the 21st century.

How many young, creative, active people do you know who have moved to a “cooler” city (Austin and Portland come to mind) to pursue careers? I know too many, all of whom said they “loved Fort Worth, but….”

Even our neighbors to the East in Dallas have seen how transit options can revitalize neighborhoods. Just look at what’s happening in Oak Cliff, Knox Henderson, or just about anywhere along the light rail lines they have built.

And right here in Fort Worth, I can tell you from personal experience, just the very promise of a Streetcar system has improved the economy. Trinity Bicycles chose to relocate from Irving, TX, to its location at 207 S. Main in part because it was on a proposed streetcar line. Now the final space in a long-empty historic building is filled, and not just with any business– a retail business that will be putting sales tax into the City coffers.

If we chose a location based on a system that hasn’t even been started yet, imagine how many more businesses will move into town if the system actually gets built…

Apr 1, 2010 Comments Off

Photo: Trinity Bicycles Bike Corral At Fort Worth Sings For Haiti

By: Kevin Buchanan

This photo comes to us from our friends at the Near Southside’s new, soon-to-open bike shop, Trinity Bicycles.  As the weather warms and people get out and enjoy it, we see a lot of scenes like this.  Just another example of how the Near Southside is becoming Fort Worth’s bike hub.

Mar 29, 2010 5

Letter Of Support For Streetcar Project From Central City Redevelopment Committee Chair

By: Kevin Buchanan

After today’s buzz about the streetcar project, we received the following letter of support for the project from Fran McCarthy, Chair of the city’s Central City Redevelopment Committee.  With Fran’s permission, we are publishing his letter below.

CENTRAL CITY REDEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

Fort Worth, Texas

March 28, 2010

Mayor Mike Moncrief
City of Fort Worth
1000 Throckmorton Street
Fort Worth, Texas 76107

Subject:  Modern Streetcars for Fort Worth, Texas

Dear Mike:

On behalf of your Central City Redevelopment Committee, I urge you and the City Council to approve  M&C-24103, Authorize the Execution of a Professional Services Agreement with HDR Engineering, Inc., in the Amount of $1,880,800.00 for the Modern Streetcar Planning and Design Project at your April 6 City Council meeting.

At several recent events, you have spoken eloquently about the need to improve our mobility and air quality, to expand our tax base, to reinvest in our central city, and to promote more sustainable forms of development.  I have joined many other Fort Worth citizens in applauding your remarks at the Tracks to the Future conference, at your State of the City address, and at the Vision North Texas regional summit, in which you have observed wisely that Fort Worth must invest now in the development of rail transportation — including proposed improvements to Tower 55, commuter rail, and a modern streetcar system that connects our central-city growth centers and urban villages.

You have provided exceptional leadership:
by heading our 2008 fact-finding trips to Dallas and the Pacific Northwest,
by raising public awareness about the need for a modern streetcar system,
by appointing a Modern Streetcar Task Force,
and by securing federal funds from the Regional Transportation Council for a definitive study of the modern streetcar system.

In September of last year, the City Council formally accepted those funds and authorized corresponding agreements with the Texas Department of Transportation and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority.  Accordingly, the time has come to authorize a contract with our preferred consultant for the modern streetcar study, which will provide the City Council with all of the information that you and Council need to make sound decisions about the Modern Streetcar project.

We understand that questions have arisen about whether the modern streetcar project is competing for limited resources with the Tower 55 project and the Southwest-to-Northeast commuter rail project.  The correct answer is “No”!  In fact, all three projects are closely interrelated, all three are vitally important to our central city, and all three deserve the City Council’s continued support. Fort Worth has never shied always from finding ways to fund multiple important projects even in tough economic times and we can once again.

Furthermore, we understand that questions have arisen about whether authorization of the HDR contract will obligate the City to expend funds on the design of any particular alignments.  Again, the correct answer is “No”!  In fact, your incredible staff has negotiated an excellent contract such that the City would actually expend about $100,000.00 which is less than half of the allocated funds on phases 1 and 2, and which will provide the determination of feasible and desirable alignments, before seeking the City Council’s authorization to proceed into preliminary engineering as a potential phase 3 and spending the second $100.000.00.

Mike, this is a small amount of money considering the potential long term benefit of a Streetcar system as part of an integrated transportation system. On the other side of the argument $100,000.00 is a small amount of money to determine that a different transportation system should be developed that answers the future transportation needs of Fort Worth.

In view of the extensive benefits and limited costs associated with the modern streetcar study, we urge you to stay the course and authorize the HDR contract without further delay.

Mike, let us know how we can assist you towards that end.

Sincerely,

Fran McCarthy
Chair
Central City Redevelopment Committee

Cc: Members of the Fort Worth City Council
Members of the Central City Committee

Mar 29, 2010 32

Streetcar Project In Jeopardy

By: Kevin Buchanan

At the last City Council meeting, the council was supposed to vote to finally hire on HDR, Inc. (the nation’s preeminent transit planners, whose streetcar resume stretches across dozens of projects in development and whose streetcar chief, Charlie Hales, had a hand in Portland, Oregon’s wildly successful project) to commence a full-up study of the Fort Worth modern streetcar project.  HDR would conduct a multi-phase design study that would answer all the remaining questions about the project:  an exact alignment, operational details, construction and operation costs, economic and development impacts (to show how much development could accompany the streetcar line), etc. etc. etc.  This final study would give the city all the information it needed to move forward with the project, or not, if it was determined to not be feasible.

We reported back in November that the city had selected a firm to handle the design duties – that firm was HDR.  Yet HDR has not been officially hired on.  The reasons why are becoming clear:  certain councilmembers, wealthy individuals, and other influential parties are looking to sink the project before the study is even underway, for reasons of both petty political bickering and to help two of the wealthiest corporations in the United States.

HDR is to be hired using approximately $1.8 million dollars.  Almost all of that money comes from the North Central Texas Council of Governments, which granted Fort Worth this money specifically to hire a consultant for this study.  This money is already here, and waiting to be used.  HDR knows they’re the firm, and are waiting for the green light.

At the last council meeting, when the vote to hire HDR came up, it got delayed until April 6th.  This latest in a string of delays has caused strong frustration within the city, within the business and development communities, and within the citizens who are eager for progress on the streetcar project.  It now appears to us that this delay is due to a variety of forces attempting to kill the project before the study is even underway.

There appears to be an effort underway now to stop the study from happening, and to raid the NCTCOG grant money and turn it over to at-grade improvements for the infamous Tower 55 project.  Put another way, various influential bodies and council members would like to take the streetcar study money and instead turn it over to helping BNSF and Union Pacific, the two railroad companies impacted by the Tower 55 situation.  (This is not for anything related to the Tower 55 trenches being discussed – this is for at-grade improvements to the existing north-south alignment.)

In addition, we hear talk of not wanting the streetcar to “compete” with other transit projects, as well as tons of misinformation about the streetcar project causing higher taxes or being paid for by raiding road repair funds, etc. – none of which are true.

This vote is to spend money the city has already been granted to hire HDR to conduct the right and proper study that needs to be done for the streetcar project.  It doesn’t commit the city to building anything.  Whether we decide in the end to build the streetcar or not, this study needs to be done.  It will answer every question the council could have about the project, and probably then some.  We feel that it would be incredibly irresponsible and careless to kill the study before the city has all the facts.  The council shouldn’t say “no” before they know.

The decision to further delay the vote to hire HDR, Inc. to conduct the full design study – not even a vote to actually build the thing, just a vote to do the right and proper study that needs to be done, whatever the eventual outcome – showcases a staggering lack of leadership and forward-thinking on the part of this city government.  After years of positive progress, much productive discussion, years of planning by talented individuals within our own committees, and a strong showing of support from the city government in a variety of venues (such as the Pacific Northwest fact-finding trip and the Tracks to the Future conference), to see that this Council seems to be back-pedaling under the cloud of incorrect information to raid the study grant to benefit two of the wealthiest corporations in America is extremely disappointing.

We have seen what effective multi-modal transit can do for a city, not only in terms of mobility but also in terms of development, livability, and the creation of truly remarkable places.  We have seen that these sorts of places – higher density, with a variety of choices in living arrangement, transportation, employment, and recreation – foster some remarkable examples of creativity, prosperity, and life.

We have the opportunity, with this modern streetcar project, to help create those sorts of places in Fort Worth.  It is clear that streetcars can attract far more riders than buses are capable of (due to an assortment of factors – comfort, smooth operation, ease of use, etc.).  In addition, streetcars provide that “last couple of miles” connection from our commuter rail projects, leading to higher ridership overall.  Getting more people on our transit systems means less congestion, better air quality, less dependence on increasingly unreliable supplies of fossil fuels, and the creation of far more successful and livable urban neighborhoods.  Fort Worth’s current transit offerings are not sufficient if we are to truly create the city that we have been talking about.  For example, Mayor Moncrief’s own words in the State of the City address, words he now seemed poised to flip-flop on:

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!

If business as usual is truly dead, we must act to fully examine our transportation alternatives.  Further delays, or an outright rejection, of the proposal to hire HDR to conduct our full streetcar study would be a grave mistake.  To then raid that fund to benefit BNSF and UP would be an outrage.

Other cities obviously get it.  Even Dallas is pulling further and further ahead of us in this regard, building off their ongoing DART light rail success with their own modern streetcar project – which defeated our own for TIGER funding at least in part due to the clear lack of leadership on the part of the Fort Worth city government and a muddled message coming from City Hall, in addition to the decision to submit only the downtown circulator without the Near Southside or Cultural District lines.  Former Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, at the Tracks to the Future conference, spoke extensively of this need for strong leadership and a clear message.

These cities – cities like Dallas, and Portland, and Seattle, and Charlotte, and more – are more fully serving their citizens by creating real transportation choice.  If Fort Worth continues to drop the ball on projects like the streetcar, we will lose out.  These cities are competing with us for the jobs and vitality of the future, and we know that ever-increasing numbers of young creatives and professionals no longer wish to have the same suburban/car-dominated life that their parents and grandparents had.  They want real choice, in living arrangement and transportation (and make no mistake, these two things are deeply linked – effective transit helps build effective mixed-use living arrangements, and vice versa).  They will go where they can get these things, and if they can’t get them here, we’ll fall behind.  If Fort Worth wants to compete on the global stage, we have to start getting serious about this sort of thing.  It is time Fort Worth stopped wishing to remain a “small town” forever and started acting like the proud, vibrant, major American city it is.

Our current transit infrastructure (especially The T’s woefully poor bus projects) are not enough to compete on the national and international stage.

We must get serious, and we must give this study its due as we do with every other major decision.  This city has the opportunity to work with the finest transit minds in the United States to come up with solutions that work for us.  This is perhaps one of the most important proposals to come before the City Council, ever – it deserves the same level of attention as our other major decisions.  This is not a vote to fund the entire system – it is a vote to make a relatively miniscule investment to find out all the facts we need before we make further decisions to proceed.  There are valid concerns and questions about the streetcar project, but this City Council is behaving as though they don’t even want to answer them.  The City Council wishes instead to bury its head in the sand and pretend that business as usual is, in fact, healthy and productive – when the evidence of the last several years shows that to be untrue.  And it further wants to hand over the NCTCOG money to benefit two corporations for whom $1.8 million is chump change.  Don’t be surprised, if this happens, that NCTCOG will be extremely reluctant to work with the city in the future as well as it has (and we wouldn’t be surprised, if we wind up cutting HDR loose after stringing them along, that Fort Worth’s reputation with transit planners and the Feds will be quite negatively impacted as well).

It bears repeating:  don’t say “no” before we know.  Whatever your stance on the streetcar project, it deserves full consideration as any other major decision does.  There are questions that need answering and this is how we answer them, and the planners and money are already here and ready to go.

We see a growing resentment toward this City Council and a growing feeling that the City Council is making a last-minute, nonsensical course reversal after the years of planning, the consultant selection, and the vote to fund the study, not to mention this same City Council’s public expressions of support for this project.  It seems like a dramatic failure of leadership, and a mess of petty political bickering.  The fact that it happens behind closed doors in Fort Worth, rather than out in the open as in Dallas, doesn’t change the fact that it is terribly unfortunate and shameful.

We love Fort Worth.  We also realize that it is not perfect, and that we are desperately behind in terms of transit.  We know that people within City Hall know this to be true as well.  If we drop the ball on this before even getting all the facts, it will be a black mark on our legacy.

We encourage all our readers to contact the City Council and express your concern and frustration with the delays and petty politics, and express your support for getting the study done with HDR.  Here are their contact numbers and e-mail addresses:

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

In addition, we are encouraging as many of our readers as possible to attend the City Council meeting on Tuesday, April 6th, at 7:00 PM, to show your support for the streetcar project.  We are working with some of our associates to have T-shirts available at the meeting, as was done with the Bike Fort Worth plan.  We’ll have more information this week, but for now, we hope you will try to be at the council meeting on the 6th to help support the project – and that you’ll tell your friends to help as well.  We know the streetcar support is out there (in fact, we have numbers – more on that later), and now it’s time to tell your city representatives that we don’t want any more delays, or petty politics.

We are the new Fort Worth.  We have the chance to move this city boldly into the future, just as our forefathers did when they brought the railroad to Fort Worth, just as Amon Carter did decades ago, and just as countless other great Fort Worthians have done since the days when this city was just an Army outpost on a bluff at the convergence of the West and Clear forks of the Trinity River.  Make your voice heard.

EDIT:  Had to add these comments from our friend at Walkable Dallas-Fort Worth:

Two key components. This is about real choice (which I harp on constantly) and economic development. Streetcars are what unlocked and created the neighborhoods immediately adjacent to downtowns, and crazy as it sounds, they are what will revitalize those same areas which have been decimated by speculation, zoning, and car-oriented policies and design.

EDIT:  Here’s a link to a Fort Worth Weekly story by Dan McGraw about why we missed out on the TIGER grant. Of particular note is that our “downtown circulator” submission didn’t win because it didn’t go anywhere.  Dallas was going to get laughed out of the US DOT offices as well with their original downtown-only plan.  It was the better downtown-to-Oak Cliff plan that got them the money.  That’s why we need to be focusing on a downtown-to-Near Southside or downtown-to-Cultural District starter plan.

EDIT:  Here’s a letter of support from Fran McCarthy, chair of the Central City Redevelopment Committee.

Feb 24, 2010 1

Photos from the Fort Worth South Banquet

By: Kevin Buchanan

Last night, at the beautiful Masonic Temple, Fort Worth South, Inc. held its latest annual banquet celebrating the ongoing continued success of the Near Southside’s revitalization.  Fort Worth South president Paul Paine gave a stirring presentation on the accomplishments in the Near Southside thus far, and several upcoming projects and developments.

In the photos above, you can see the overall crowd, a shot of the banquet’s them – People and Places – and a shot of Paul during the presentation.  You may notice the rendering in the background – that showcases a brand-new streetcar-oriented development planned for South Main Village at South Main and Pennsylvania – TownSite Co.‘s project at the former Motheral Printing Plant.

Among the items touched upon by Paul:

  • The Magnolia Avenue refreshing was just the beginning, as streetscape improvements are coming to South Main, Hemphill, and Evans, and more are being planned for streets like Jennings, Pennsylvania, and Vickery.
  • The Near Southside will be home to a fully-integrated bicycle transportation network.  The Magnolia bike lanes are the first example, and there are plans for bike lanes on Jennings, Pennsylvania, Vickery, and more.
  • Even in a down economy, the Near Southside is doing incredibly well – employment is up, rents are strong for both office and retail, residential work is steady, and restaurant sales are up 117% from last year.  He also mentioned the impending arrival of the Near Southside’s second bike shop, Trinity Bicycles in South Main Village.
  • Crime continues its steady downward spiral, with Fort Worth South working with the Fort Worth Police to strongly reduce crime.  Bicycle patrols are reappearing in the Near Southside, and the police are moving from their current home at Magnolia & College into a larger building at Magnolia & Hemphill currently being renovated (more to come on that project).
  • In two to three weeks, the Magnolia streetscape project finishes up with the activation of LED net lighting in all the trees along Magnolia from 8th Avenue to Hemphill.
  • Paul stressed the need for more construction of quality rental apartments, as there are just over 740 units in the Near Southside and the district is over 95% on occupancy.  Considering the Near Southside’s more affordable nature compared to Downtown, there is a strong need for more quality rental units.
  • He touched upon several upcoming projects, including the Oleander West development, the Motheral development, a nearly 300-unit apartment development planned near the Schaumburg Lofts not far from South Main Village, and more.
  • Edit:  Paul also mentioned specifically that they are trying to attract a real urban grocery store to the Near Southside, using Fort Worthology’s photos of Austin’s Royal Blue Grocery as an example.

Catering was provided by Chadra Mezza & Grill, and was delicious – as was the beer provided by Rahr Brewery.  The banquet points to the incredible success in revitalizing the Near Southside and the excitement of its upcoming projects.

Feb 22, 2010 1

Doggie Diggs Opens in South Main Village

By: Kevin Buchanan

In the ongoing revitalization of the Near Southside’s South Main Village neighborhood, another new business has arrived:  Doggie Diggs, a new dog daycare facility located at 221 E. Broadway.

Doggie Diggs heads into a part of the Landers Machine Shop complex located just off South Main, near the Sawyer Apartments and Miller Lofts.  The main Landers Machine Shop building is now an art facility, while the former office portion of the complex houses Doggie Diggs.

For more, check out the Doggie Diggs site at http://doggiediggsfortworth.com.  (Note that despite the references on the site to being “Downtown’s newest,” Doggie Diggs is in fact in the Near Southside.)

There are more businesses coming to South Main Village in the not-too-distant future, and we’re looking forward to showcasing them as they open.

Jan 21, 2010 5

Visuals of New South Main and Poly/TWU Streetscapes

By: Kevin Buchanan

Following up on yesterday’s post about the grants awarded to the South Main and Poly/TWU streetscape projects, we now have some before & after images to share, thanks to our friends at local planning & development firm TownSite.

Each pair of images shows a streetscape before & after the project.  For South Main, we’re looking towards Downtown, roughly from just north of East Peter Smith.  The “before” image shows the rather barren appearance of South Main as it currently exists.  The “after” image shows South Main reborn – the street has been reconfigured into two lanes + turn lane + parking, sidewalks have been widened and bulb-outs installed for even more space, long rows of street trees installed, new pedestrian-scaled lighting is in place, benches have been set up – the works.  Seemingly simple changes can have a radical effect on the feel of places.

To cap it all off, the “after” image also shows the newly reorganized South Main with tracks and overhead wires for the modern streetcar line.

In the other pair of images, we’re on Vaughn looking north towards Rosedale and Texas Wesleyan, showing the redone sidewalks, street trees, and more that are part of the Poly/TWU streetscape project.

Both are pieces of great news for Fort Worth’s Urban Villages program – we look forward to seeing both projects get underway.

Jan 20, 2010 4

South Main, Poly/TWU Slated for Streetscape Improvements

By: Kevin Buchanan

We have just heard some fantastic news for fans of more pedestrian-friendly, calm and attractive urban streetscapes:  the North Central Texas Council of Governments has slated funding for two notable streetscape improvement projects in urban Fort Worth.

First, the South Main urban village, located in the Near Southside just outside Downtown, looks to be getting $3,000,000 for the long-awaited remake of the South Main streetscape.  South Main used to be a very pedestrian-friendly environment, and the historic building forms reflect that – but over time, the street itself was widened into a four-lane speed-heavy roadway, and the sidewalks were chopped back to mere slivers to make room.  The South Main streetscape project would see South Main converted into a two-lane-plus-turn-lane configuration very much like the current form of Magnolia Avenue (though bike lanes are not in the plans – the city’s Bike Fort Worth plan, which we’ll be posting a detailed look at soon, shows South Main north of Magnolia as being a sharrow route rather than full bike lanes) to help slow traffic and encourage a more pedestrian-friendly atmosphere.  As a result of the smaller travel lane configuration, sidewalks would be widened, street trees and other furnishings installed, and on-street parking provided for retail tenants.  The end result would be in many ways very similar to the Near Southside’s signature street, Magnolia Avenue, with wide, tree-lined sidewalks and slower traffic speeds.

NCTCOG also looks to be granting $1,500,000 for the Polytechnic/Texas Wesleyan University urban village for streetscape improvements.  There has been some redevelopment work at Poly/TWU Village already, as TownSite has been restoring the existing old urban retail structures across from the university.

In addition, NCTCOG looks to be granting $300,000 for a planning project for the Berry Street Southwest-to-Northeast rail station for the T’s upcoming new rail line.

Great news all around, and we’ll have more on these projects as they develop.

Jan 9, 2010 Comments Off

New Construction on South Main

By: Kevin Buchanan

South Main Office 1

It’s not much, but this small infill development on South Main near Terrell is the first new construction on South Main in a long time, and a sign of progress on the long-beleaguered street in the Near Southside.  There has been a series of restorations and adaptive reuses along South Main for some time now (including the Sawyer Apartments and Miller Lofts by the Carillion Group), and now there’s new construction rising as well.  We’re told that this development is an office structure.

Dec 4, 2009 Comments Off

Weekend Art Happenings

By: Kevin Buchanan

Here’s a couple of notable weekend art events, one at the Modern, the other at the Landers Machine Shop Gallery:

First, tonight is First Friday at the Modern, featuring live music and cocktails from 5:00 to 8:00. Tonight’s event features Mike Price and Sumter Bruton, and the special cocktail is “Jingle My Bell.” Dinner will be served at Cafe Modern from 5:30 to 8:30 – make your reservations soon.

On Saturday, starting at 8:00 PM, is the Thrift Art Gallery Show and Auction. This event, held at the former Landers Machine Shop (being transformed into an art venue) at 207 East Broadway in the Near Southside’s South Main Village area, features art collected by local artist Chris Blay that he’s collected via thrift, and is auctioning off with prices starting at $0.50. The pieces are given titles and backstories, and the funds go to next year’s event (bring cash). The event is BYOB, and DJ Lo-Rez will be providing the tunes.

Oct 26, 2009 4

Joe Frank Launching Mixed-Use Development On South Main, To Feature New Gallery Art Cafe, Farmer's Market

By: Kevin Buchanan

We’ve been hoping that we could write about this development, and now that the Business Press has mentioned it, we’ll drop some words on it as well.

Joe Frank, who has not only built several new bungalows in the Fairmount neighborhood but who also built the J. D. Moore mixed-use infill building at Henderson & Oleander, has announced plans for an ambitious mixed-use development in the Near Southside’s South Main Village. The development, named Rocco Francis Plaza (after Joe’s grandfather), will be built on a half-block bounded by South Main, E. Peter Smith, and Bryan. This spot is just down the street from Eddie Vanston‘s Sawyer Building and Miller Lofts developments.

Rocco Francis Plaza will feature an interesting mix of uses. On South Main, there’ll be a two-story mixed-use structure (the Business Press article incorrectly says it is a single-story building, though the change may have been made after the article was written. The second floor was added after considering the development’s proximity to the upcoming modern streetcar line) featuring ground-floor retail space and second-floor lofts. Also on South Main, and continuing on E. Peter Smith, will be five live/work units, featuring ground-level retail or office space with attached upper-floor residences. These five live/works will start at $235,000.

In the center of the block, seperated from the mixed-use structure by a courtyard, will be five three-story townhomes of about 1,500 square feet. These townhomes will start at $175,000.

The existing structures on the site will be demolished. The block will also feature a remaining building that Eddie is hanging on to for a future project.

Demolition at the site could be starting in December, and the project should wrap up by mid-2010.

Joe also has retail tenants for the mixed-use building in discussion. Both are names familiar to urban Fort Worth fans: Gallery Art Cafe is making plans to relocate from their current spot at Jennings & Pennsylvania to the development, and Joe is also in talks with Jack Finley, who ran the former Downtown Fort Worth Farmer’s Market, to open a new farmer’s market in the ground-floor. The development would include a sizable patio space for Gallery Art Cafe.

The development’s architect is Robert W. Kelly. We look forward to more news as the development nears its start date, and we’ll try to provide renderings when they’re available. Joe has set up a web site for interested parties to check with inquiries about the development.

Oct 16, 2009 Comments Off

Miller Lofts Opening Party Tonight

By: Kevin Buchanan

The grand opening party for Eddie Vanston’s newest development, the Miller Lofts at 311 Bryan in the Near Southside’s South Main Village, is tonight from 7:00 to 10:00! Beer and music will be on hand, the latter in the form of the awesome local band The Theater Fire. Make sure to stop by and get a look at this incredible adaptive reuse.

Oct 7, 2009 6

Opening Party for Miller Lofts – Friday the 16th

By: Kevin Buchanan

Just heard from our friend Eddie Vanston that there will be a big opening party for his new Miller Lofts at 311 Bryan Ave. this month, on Friday the 16th. Beer, snacks, and plenty of good times will undoubtedly result. Word is that local awesome band The Theater Fire will be performing, so it’ll be a grand evening all around. More details to come.

For more on the development, make sure to check out our most recent walkthrough of Miller Lofts.

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Browse the Fort Worthology Linklog - interesting and cool urbanism, transit, and bicycle links that aren't necessarily Fort Worth-centric.

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