FORT WORTH, Texas — This article was originally published by our content partners at the Dallas Business Journal. You can read the original article here.
Fort Worth City Council will consider giving a total of $4 million in grants to the University of Texas at Arlington tied to the construction of a new campus in Tarrant County's biggest city.
The University of Texas System Board of Regents in early August approved a plan to buy 51 acres of land in west Fort Worth, creating a second UT-Arlington campus. The property is located at the intersection of I-30 and I-20 in Parker County within the Walsh Ranch development.
It is expected to begin welcoming students as early as fall 2028.
"Anytime the UT System can expand greater educational opportunity, access, and affordability to Texans, we’re going to do it,” said Kevin Eltife, chairman of the UT System Board of Regents. "We’re looking forward to planting a UT Arlington flag in west Fort Worth, currently the nation’s fastest-growing city.”
The agreement would immediately provide $2 million for what's called UTA West for infrastructure improvements, such as water and sewer lines, inner campus roads and utilities.
The city would provide $2 million more after the improvements are made. The council is scheduled to vote on the resolution during a meeting that starts at 10 a.m. Aug. 27.
The land will be purchased using money from the system’s permanent university fund, but the price of the land wasn’t immediately clear.
UTA is the second largest institution in the UT system with 41,000 students, according to their website.
“By aligning educational resources with the region’s economic needs, UTA is poised to play a pivotal role in shaping a skilled workforce capable of meeting the demands of 21st-century industries,” said Robert Allen, Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership president.
