FORT WORTH, Texas — The city of Fort Worth will allow developers to construct taller buildings in a section of the peninsula that will become Panther Island.
City council Tuesday unanimously approved the zoning change, which raises the maximum building height from eight stories to 20 stories in a roughly four-block area. The rule will apply to new construction between NW 7th Street and the canal running through the Encore Panther Island apartment complex.
A consulting firm charged with updating the vision for the future mixed-use entertainment district recommended the adjustment. The analysts said the move will make space on the island for more permanent residents, which should keep housing costs lower.
"Greater height will potentially get us to steel construction, greater density to support transit, and we could also consider... offering greater height as an incentive for an affordable housing development," assistant city manager Dana Burghdoff told council members earlier this month.
The previous rule required new buildings to be a minimum of five stories, but no taller than eight stories. Burghdoff said such a policy generally leads to less sturdy, stick-built construction.
Council kept in place the minimum height requirement but will allow single-story buildings if they are an accessory to a larger development.
The change will also help the city accomplish a transportation vision, where North Main Street becomes a transit corridor connecting downtown to the Stockyards and the near southside.
New buildings will not dwarf the city's existing skyline, though. Downtown's ground elevation is about 100 feet higher than Panther Island.
There is no cap on building height in the city's core. At 40 stories, Burnett Plaza at 801 Cherry St is Fort Worth's tallest building.
Fort Worth's new city hall, located at the former Pier 1 building, is 20 stories tall.
"More bodies, taller buildings - it only brings more light to our side of Fort Worth," Panther Island Brewing's Johnnye Soles told WFAA. "Who wouldn't want that, as a business owner?"
"It's exciting," she continued. "It gives us more possibilities to expand our brand and our taproom and create a cooler space for people to come hang out."
The tap room opened almost ten years ago. It is among the only operating businesses along that stretch of North Main Street.
"We're kind of like the no-man's land of Fort Worth right now," Soles said. "We're waiting for our time to shine."
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could begin digging the Trinity River bypass that will form Panther Island in 2025. Since updating their vision for the resulting neighborhood, city leaders have committed to addressing the area's development needs before the flood control project begins.