The release continued, “Rather than pushing a plan forward simply to keep momentum, the City is choosing to pause, reassess, and change the approach.”<\/p>\n
The move comes after the city \u201cmutually agreed to part ways\u201d with Houston-based Midway Development. The entities teamed up in 2024 to move forward with plans for an ambitious development that officials hoped could serve as something of a town square.<\/p>\n
The city plans to continue talking with Midway, knowing that the Bedford Commons project could be rebooted down the line.<\/p>\n
Anna Deans, a Midway executive vice president, told KERA, \u201cWe made some recommendations to the city that hopefully they can move forward with in the near term, and we’re always here if they need feedback or guidance.\u201d<\/p>\n
For now, the city is looking to sell some of the Bedford Commons land to a single-family housing developer, kicking off a phased approach to building out the property.<\/p>\n
Multiple officials emphasized that the project isn\u2019t dead, but that it will look different from earlier plans until economic conditions improve.<\/p>\n
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Midway Development Group<\/p>\n
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City of Bedford<\/p>\n
A presentation slide shown during the Feb. 25, 2025 Bedford City Council meeting.<\/p>\n
The history of Bedford Commons<\/p>\n
Bedford Commons has been a part of the city\u2019s ambitions for over a decade.<\/p>\n
A 2014 presentation<\/a> from Gateway Planning showed plans to make the space a central hub for housing, retail and dining options \u2013 a \u201cmain street\u201d in a town that didn\u2019t really have one.<\/p>\n \u201cIt became serious back in 2015 when we actually started to establish a zoning overlay district<\/a> called Bedford Commons,\u201d City Manager Andrea Roy told KERA.<\/p>\n Bedford Mayor Dan Cogan said around 2017, in earlier stages of consideration, the city administration at the time wanted the Bedford Commons land to be developed into apartment buildings.<\/p>\n That didn\u2019t sit well with some residents.<\/p>\n \u201cThe residents, for all lack of a better term, revolted,\u201d Cogan recalled. \u201cThey showed up to a council meeting and kept the council there until about 3 o’clock in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Cogan, Bedford today has 35 apartment complexes, with around half of the city\u2019s roughly 50,000 residents living in them. He said there\u2019s a consensus that Bedford doesn\u2019t need more multifamily housing, especially on the Bedford Commons property.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we all agreed and came together as a city and said 35 is too much for a city our size,\u201d Cogan said. \u201cSo, in this small piece of property that we have, we need to make the best use of it.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2019, the city purchased some of the land<\/a> from Realty Capital for $2.5 million, killing a deal that would have placed luxury apartments on Bedford Commons. Those apartments were envisioned with a Millennial audience in mind, potentially bringing younger professionals and families to town.<\/p>\n The Bedford Commons land, which sits between E.M. Bilger Boulevard and Parkwood Drive, south of Bedford Road and north of L. Don Dodson Drive, is among Bedford\u2019s last undeveloped space. It\u2019s grassy and dotted with trees, its borders almost entirely lined by sidewalks. It sits behind the Central Fire Station, which is expected to be expanded and moved next to the nearby Bedford Law Enforcement Center within the next two years.<\/p>\n While sources varied on the exact percentage of undeveloped land left in Bedford, they all placed it under 5%.<\/p>\n Plans for Bedford Commons, shown here in a 2020 presentation, included common areas that would “help to activate the park for both active and passive outdoor activities.”<\/p>\n Because undeveloped green spaces are so sparse in town, some residents have called for the Bedford Commons property to remain natural. Cogan said while keeping some of the space intact is a priority, it\u2019s not the city\u2019s only goal.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to preserve as many trees as possible, and green space, but also recognize the fact that we can\u2019t just make this a park,\u201d he said. \u201cThe city put money into this piece of property, so we need to have some return on investment.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2021, the city established a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, or TIRZ, as a means of enticing developers. According to city materials, the TIRZ was created to fund Bedford Commons\u2019 future infrastructure needs, including drainage, water and sewage lines, and roadways and parking.<\/p>\n Around 2022 and into 2023, the city put out a request for expressed interest, which essentially asked developers to show their vision for Bedford Commons.<\/p>\n Roy said the city worked with a developer for some time until progress stalled and \u201cwe kind of fell into that pattern again of, \u2018I need to very heavily rely on the city. Can the city do this? Can we pay for that?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n After splitting with the previous developer, city officials were introduced to Midway Development.<\/p>\n Early concepts for the Bedford Commons project, shown in a 2014 presentation. <\/p>\n \u201cMidway’s vision absolutely aligned with ours, and they were not interested in pursuing multifamily,\u201d Roy explained. \u201cThey have a great love of trees, and those few things right there were really at the top of our bucket list for this property.\u201d<\/p>\n Midway executive Anna Deans said her team was \u201cvery interested\u201d in the Bedford Commons project and working with city staff.<\/p>\n \u201cWe believe in the project,\u201d Deans said. \u201cWe really love creating community destinations for cities like this, and so we do hope to continue conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n The city partnered with Midway in 2024. About a year later, Midway estimated the project\u2019s commercial development cost around $26.6 million.<\/p>\n Meanwhile at the national level, the overall cost of construction was rising. With lingering effects of inflation<\/a> that started during the COVID-19 pandemic and the advent of new tariffs<\/a> under the second Trump administration, the price of building materials and labor was creeping up.<\/p>\n A recent analysis from the National Association of Home Builders showed that residential building material price growth continued to trend upward<\/a> at the end of 2025, while the new home construction market appeared to be slowing<\/a>.<\/p>\n In July of 2025, the city granted Midway a six-month extension on its memorandum of understanding, allowing the team more time to determine development and financing options for Bedford Commons.<\/p>\n But on Jan. 7, the city announced that the project was paused, citing economic uncertainty.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is really just a matter of economics,\u201d Deans said of the decision. \u201cI think across the country, it’s become very challenging to make new development make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n Cogan said from this point on, the TIRZ will continue to grow, offering the city more leverage to develop the property down the line.<\/p>\n Council member Joy Donovan Brandon said because Bedford is so built out and so close to DFW International Airport, the city wants to be strategic about how it moves forward with projects like this one.<\/p>\n \u201cWe think it’ll be a very vigorous process in speaking with developers about residential housing going forward,\u201d Donovan Brandon said. \u201cBut that’s not the end of what we think will be a commercial development also.\u201d<\/p>\n Ongoing discussions<\/p>\n City Manager Andrea Roy said the city wants to be \u201cfully transparent\u201d with residents who have been looking forward to seeing Bedford Commons become a reality.<\/p>\n The Bedford Commons land is among the last undeveloped spaces in the city. It’s already surrounded by residential, municipal and commercial development. <\/p>\n \u201cBut again, we felt it was fiscally responsible of us to go ahead and say, this is just not quite a match at this time and take a step back,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Roy said to date, the city has spent roughly $350,000 to make the property developable, conduct surveys and purchase engineering services. That\u2019s in addition to the $2.5 million used to buy 8.07 acres of land from Realty Capital. All resulting work products are owned by the city, meaning Bedford officials can freely use the ideas they have on hand in future development.<\/p>\n From here, the city plans to sell parts of the land in a phased approach. The first portion along the eastern side of the property is slated to go to a single-family housing developer. <\/p>\n Roy said there\u2019s room for reviving some of the original concepts for Bedford Commons when economic conditions improve. But for now, the city is looking to residential development as a means of bringing value to the space.<\/p>\n \u201cThe residential piece,\u201d Roy said, \u201clet’s tackle that, get some value going, get some activity and momentum \u2013 feed the TIRZ, if you will, some revenue \u2013 and then we can come back in a few years and things are just going to be a little bit more stable.\u201d<\/p>\n Immediate future of the site<\/p>\n A January city press release read, \u201cWhile residents may not see immediate vertical construction, meaningful work will continue behind the scenes.\u201d<\/p>\n The city is expected to continue preparing the site for future development, including getting FEMA approvals.<\/p>\n Council member Amy Sabol said despite the area being a tough spot to develop retail and restaurants, city officials remain hopeful about the project.<\/p>\n \u201cI’ve always said the reason it would take off is because the freeways are so busy and when people come home on the weekend, they don’t want to go someplace else to do something,\u201d Sabol said.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, if we could create a little haven for people to have plenty of things to do in Bedford, we would have success,\u201d she continued. \u201cPeople are so tired of being on the roads because, as you know, Texas isn’t big on mass transit.\u201d<\/p>\n At a Jan. 13 city council meeting, resident Sal Caruso spoke in favor of public sessions for residents to offer their vision for the future of Bedford Commons.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe hearing from the residents and listening, actually listening, to their comments will go a long way and establish a true communication tool for the residents of Bedford,\u201d Caruso said.<\/p>\n Another resident, Vicki McCleery, said she wants to see part of the Bedford Commons property become a botanical garden.<\/p>\n \u201cI noticed that there are a lot of people wearing scrubs that walk up and down Forest Ridge because we have a lot of health facilities,\u201d McCleery said. \u201cA lot of those people need a break, and they need someplace green to go to.\u201d<\/p>\n A rendering by architect Jim Tharp of the future Bedford Central Fire Station, estimated to be completed in late 2027. <\/p>\n The city is gearing up for the redevelopment of the Central Fire Station, which is currently behind what would become Bedford Commons, but will instead move next to the city\u2019s Law Enforcement Center.<\/p>\n At a Dec. 9 city council meeting, an architect laid out design plans<\/a> that include offices, larger vehicle bays, expanded living quarters, workout and training spaces, and kitchen and dining spaces. Construction of the new fire station is set to begin late this summer, with the project expected to be completed around the end of 2027.<\/p>\n As for the current fire station, officials have floated the idea of turning the building into a brewery or event space if it isn\u2019t demolished.<\/p>\n Got a tip? Email Andy Lusk at\u00a0alusk@kera.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Plans](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1770031929_792_.png\"\/)
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