Farrington Field could be getting new neighbors as the Fort Worth school district looks for a developer for the surrounding land.
Joyce Marshall
Joyce Marshall
Farrington Field could have some new neighbors.
The Fort Worth school district is looking for a developer to buy and build up the land surrounding the 87-year-old stadium, according to a request for proposals released in January.
The district wants at least $250 million invested in developing the surrounding land as a “mixed-use, sports-anchored development.”
The district would still own the stadium, and would make sure people can park and access athletic and school events.
Selling the land would return it to the tax rolls, generating revenue that could help fund up to $55 million in renovations to the historic stadium.
Developers with projects near the stadium said future development needs to be anchored by more than just high school football games.
“You want a stadium that’s going to have events throughout the year if you’re going to build some of the auxiliary type uses involving entertainment and retail,” said Moody Younger, a managing partner with Younger Partners, which owns the nearby Artisan Circle development.
The kind of sports-anchored development the district is looking for needs more foot traffic than fans arriving before kickoff and leaving immediately after, said Cassie Paben, an executive with Goldenrod Companies in an email to the Star-Telegram.
Goldenrod is building two mixed-use developments — One University and the Van Zandt — just north of Farrington Field.
Paben pointed to The Battery, the entertainment district surrounding the Atlanta Braves’ stadium, as an example of a successful sports-anchored development.
A high school football stadium doesn’t generate the kind of sustained foot traffic needed to support the surrounding development the way The Battery does, she said.
A district spokesperson did not immediately respond to an email and phone call from the Star-Telegram requesting comment.
The deadline for proposals was Feb. 16, and the board is expected to discuss the project in executive session at its March 10 meeting.
The board is scheduled to select a developer at its March 24 meeting and close a deal sometime in April, according to district documents.
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Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Harrison Mantas has covered Fort Worth city government, agencies and people since September 2021. He likes to live tweet city hall meetings, and help his fellow Fort Worthians figure out what’s going on.