HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 24-1890INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
No. 24-1890
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council September 10, 2024
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SUBJECT: PANTHER ISLAND EQUITABLE DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE
VA
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On May 21, 2024, the Fort Worth Housing Finance Corporation board — comprised of the Mayor and all ten
Council members — received a briefing from Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President Anette
Landeros about the Panther Island equitable development initiative. The purpose of this initiative is to assess
the potential impacts of Panther Island development upon adjacent neighborhoods, including Northside and
Historic Marine, and to formulate effective strategies for promoting economic development and
neighborhood conservation in view of those impacts. The initiative's total budget is $230,000, toward which
the Housing Finance Corporation has contributed $37,500. Other funders include the Urban Land Institute
(ULI) Dallas — Fort Worth District Council, the ULI Foundation, the North Texas Community Foundation,
the Rainwater Charitable Foundation, the Hispanic Chamber, and the Amon G. Carter Foundation.
As an important part of this initiative, a ULI Advisory Services panel of national real estate development
experts will be visiting Fort Worth on September 15-20 to receive briefings, tour the study area, interview
stakeholders, analyze and debate pertinent issues, and produce a report of findings and recommendations.
The ULI panel will be chaired by Omar Gonzalez, Director of Development for Oxbow Development
Group in San Antonio. Other panel members include the following:
o Agnes Artemel, President of Artemel & Associates in Alexandria, Virginia;
o Laura J. Cortez, Founder and CEO of Cortez Consulting in Driftwood, Texas;
o Antonio Fiol-Silva, Founding Principal of SITIO architecture + urbanism in Philadelphia;
o Lucia Garsys, Principal of GarsysPlanning in Tampa;
o Danielle "Dee" Giarla, Real Estate Associate for VanTrust Real Estate in Kansas City;
o Liliana Gonzalez, Development Manager for Cinnaire in Detroit; and
o Ashley Terry, Vice President of Development for Wheeler District in Oklahoma City.
Henry Cisneros, Founder and Senior Advisor for American Triple I Partners in New York -- as well as a
former Mayor of San Antonio and a former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development -- will
serve as an advisor to the panel. The panel will present its report to the public on Friday, September 20, at
9:30 a.m. at Rose Marine Theater, 1440 North Main Street.
City staff is supporting the ULI panel by preparing a briefing book, presenting briefings, conducting the
study area tour, providing technical assistance, and helping ULI staff on logistical arrangements.
Participating departments include FWLab, Neighborhood Services, Economic Development, Development
Services, Diversity and Inclusion, and Communications and Public Engagement.
For additional information about these activities, please contact Assistant City Manager Fernando Costa at
817-392-6122.
David Cooke
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER
FORT WORTH, TEXAS