A horse farm tucked away behind large industrial buildings on Meacham Boulevard could help rein in development near a north Fort Worth train station.
Nick Tsigas, who lives near the TEXRail Mercantile Center Station at 4201 N. Beach St., believes the mostly industrial area is ready for mixed-use developments to attract new residents, commuters and shoppers.
“There’s so much land here that can be used,” the 28-year-old said Wednesday night while looking at a map of the station during a Trinity Metro meeting on transit-oriented developments at Northside Community Center. “Why not make it a destination? The potential here is massive, so I think there is a real opportunity to create something special.”
Trinity Metro officials held their final transit-oriented development meeting to get input from residents on how to develop the North Side and Mercantile Center stations, two sites north of downtown that are among TEXRail’s least utilized.
City officials are targeting the neighborhoods for transit projects, as proposed zoning changes would affect about 204 acres around the North Side Station at 2829 Decatur Ave. Industrial businesses, including scrap metal recyclers, adjacent to the station could be redeveloped after Fort Worth City Council makes its decision on Oct. 13.
At Mercantile Center, zoning changes would be needed to build new residential and retail buildings at the station located between North Beach Street and North Sylvania Avenue, officials said. The station’s single-side platform and elevated pedestrian pathway across the railroad tracks also makes development challenging.
“There’s a lot of property available by the station,” said Mike Brennan, Trinity Metro’s vice president of economic development and a former Near Southside Inc. president. “We hope we can develop some of it.”
About 5,000 people have used the Mercantile Center Station so far this year, while about 4,500 riders used the North Side Station, Trinity Metro data shows.
Daniel Rodriguez, 22, uses TEXRail in combination with his bike to travel from the Iron Horse Station in North Richland Hills to downtown Fort Worth.
He said he advocates for more trails so bicyclists and pedestrians can connect with rail stations and increase mobility across the region.
“I’d like to see more athletic uses to connect with the stations,” he said. “People should be able to walk or ride to a station easily.”
Tsigas, a commercial finance and pricing analyst who grew up in Grapevine, said that the downtown Grapevine station is a strong example of how to develop land around rail stations in Fort Worth.
“There’s a real economic opportunity,” he said. “The city is on the rise so what do we do with this? We need projects to bring housing and retail together for an economic but dynamic lifestyle. It’s great to see investment and interest around rail stations.”
Eric E. Garcia is senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org.
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