"Strollin' west down the Trinity..." A week has passed since our visit to the Trinity Trust in Dallas, and the topic of the Trinity will stay in discussion circles for at least another week as we are visiting the Ft. Worth version tonight. We took a "stroll" down the street from the campus and visited the Trinity River Vision's info office. Right off the bat, it seemed like there was a lot more cohesion amongst parties involved with the Trinity River Vision compared to it's Dallas counterpart. The walk in appeal really drew interest amongst us all.
We were greeted by one of the Planners, as she was so kind to set up a private information session with a great power point presentation and Q/A session.
The natural progression of the Trinity as it flows through Ft. Worth is a lot more appealing for development compared to it's straight line presence in Dallas. The Vision's project encompasses two primary portions, The Trinity Uptown area and the Central City project.
The Uptown area is going to encompass 1000 acres of land, and will be driven by a lot of private capital. It's ideal shape allows for very easy envisioning of how the dilapidated light industrial area will be revitalized. Zoning will be form based MU. The River makes a natural U-shaped land mass, which will be the center of the phase. I really like how the visionaries behind the project have taken into consideration the allocation of office space vs. residential/retail space, clearly to avoid any competition with its neighboring CBD area. 2/3 of the land will be residential/retail, and the current resident's of Ft. Worth seem to support the ideas fully (polling). Citizens really stressed how they wanted water front activities, and the involvement by the US Army Corps of Engineers will truly allow for this idea to sprout. They have already started construction of a world-class levee system that will ensure a catastrophic incident (like the one in 1949) will not occur again. Drainage problems have been a consistent issue for residents and the city since the 1960's, as the levee system created then did not account for the population levels of today.
The Central City portion of the project will be concentrating on the public/private infrastructure required for flood protection. With 12 miles of water related improvements slated, the total jobs created will amount to 16,000! In doing their research of similar waterfront projects from around North America, they found their ideal example in Grandville Island, Canada (Vancouver area). As the currents will be running downhill towards new developments, the Vision would have to distinguish the east side as the side to build a bypass channel (and where developments will be), as the west side will be used for recreational activities.
Overall, the build-out timeframe is going to be 12 years, and the total project cost will be upwards of $1B. 2011 will mark the beginning of the project, as the first of 3 bridges will be built. Along with the planting of 80,000+ trees, an ampitheatre for live performances and events will also complement all of the mixed use developments.
On a realistic note, the Ft. Worth project seems to be a lot more organized as 60% of the costs will be coming from Federal funds that have already been secured, and 40% will come from the City of Ft. Worth and the Water District.
A true vision has checkpoints and measurable attributes. This project fits that definition and is surely something special, as it will stimulate tourism and and immense private sector investment to help Ft. Worth grow even faster.
No comments:
Post a Comment