HomeMy WebLinkAbout(0011) IR 22-028 - Farrington Field Redevelopment StudyINFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
No. 22-028
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council
February 15, 2022
Page 1 of 1
SUBJECT: FARRINGTON FIELD REDEVELOPMENT STUDY
The City of Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD), in cooperation with the Urban
Land Institute's Dallas - Fort Worth District Council (ULI DFW), are sponsoring a panel of eleven real estate experts
who will visit Fort Worth on February 1S-17 to assess opportunities for redevelopment of the Farrington Field site
at 1501 University Drive. This 36-acre tract, located in the heart of Fort Worth's renowned Cultural District, has the
potential to attract entrepreneurial businesses that would align with the City's economic development strategic
plan while complementing existing businesses and institutions in the area. The possibility of redevelopment is
challenging, however, because the iconic art deco stadium is architecturally and historically significant, because the
site contains important drainage easements and setbacks for nearby gas wells, and because the Fort Worth Stock
Show and other public events rely heavily upon the parking lot to meet their operational requirements.
FWISD owns the Farrington Field site, which includes the Jack
A. Billingsley Field House and a large parking lot as well as the
stadium at the southeast corner of University Drive and
Lancaster Avenue. The City of Fort Worth, which historically
donated 17 acres of this property to FWISD, is contractually
entitled to receive half the proceeds from any sale of that
donated property. Both entities stand to benefit from the
thoughtful work that the ULI technical assistance panel will
perform.
During the first day of their three-day workshop, the ULI panel will receive a thorough briefing on this assignment,
tour the site and its surroundings, and interview approximately sixty local stakeholders to gather their insights. The
panel will then analyze all pertinent data and produce a set of creative yet practical ideas that will maximize the
site's potential to promote economic development and neighborhood vitality.
The panel will present their findings and recommendations at a public meeting to be held on Thursday, February
17, at 2:30 p.m. at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden Center, 3220 Botanic Garden Boulevard. ULI will provide the City
and FWISD with a draft report on the workshop results within 90 days thereafter and will be available to provide
implementation advice for twelve months after the workshop.
City staff from multiple departments are participating in this study. The Planning and Data Analytics Department
has taken the lead in preparing a briefing book with extensive information for the panel's use before, during, and
after the workshop. As the study's sponsors, the City and FWISD are each contributing $25,000 to cover the panel's
costs.
For more information about the Farrington Field redevelopment study, please contact Assistant City Manager
Fernando Costa at 817-392-6122 or fernando.costa@fortworthtexas.gov.
David Cooke
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER
FORT WORTH, TEXAS