North Fort Worth Baptist Church, founded in 1891 in a shack along Marine Creek, built a sanctuary on this site in 1902 and owned the property for most of the 20th century, until the Fellow Baptists Primera took over the complex in 1988, according to property records<\/a>.<\/p>\n The buildings, dating to the 1940s and \u201850s, feature stone and beige brick that have discolored and deteriorated over time. The church complex is within a short walking distance from several Northside neighborhood landmarks, including Marine Park and the community center.<\/p>\n Primera Baptist Church still holds regular services and posts them on its Facebook page<\/a>, with the most recent service on Sunday.<\/p>\n In January, O-SDA held meetings at the Northside Community Center to share information about the project with residents, according to a flier<\/a> that circulated on social media. Another meeting<\/a> is scheduled for March 26 at 6:30 p.m.<\/p>\n \u201cOur goal is to preserve the church\u2019s beautiful historical features while renovating the interior to provide quality, affordable housing for Fort Worth seniors,\u201d the flier read. \u201cWe look forward to working alongside the community to protect this unique building while repurposing it for housing that reflects the values and spirit of this great neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n O-SDA previously played a role in converting historic Riverside Baptist Church<\/a> in Central Fort Worth to Cielo Place Apartments at 3111 Race St. in 2021. O-SDA leaders said at the time they worked hard to uphold the historical significance of the building.<\/p>\n Cielo Place<\/a> now consists of 91 units with a mix of studio, one-bed, two-bed and three-bed units. Details about the units proposed for Primera Baptist Church haven\u2019t been shared.<\/p>\n Previous plan for Primera Baptist Church stalled<\/p>\n O-SDA\u2019s proposal to rezone the site was originally submitted<\/a> a year ago for affordable housing serving a different age group. But City Council member Carlos Flores, who represents the Northside, proposed discarding a planned tax credit<\/a> endorsed for the project at a council meeting in February 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is your chance to support an affordable housing project that is able to keep part of the fabric of the community still there,\u201d said Megan Lasch, the owner and president of O-SDA, during that meeting.<\/p>\n \u201cAny resolution other than support would dock our development by three points and would make it virtually impossible to move forward,\u201d Lasch later said, referring to the scoring system the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs uses to evaluate tax credit applications.<\/p>\n The 2025 proposal prompted weeks of contentious debate in the Northside during meetings and online forums like Facebook.<\/p>\n Supporters argued the project would preserve and make good use of the deteriorating landmark. Primera Baptist\u2019s congregation backed O-SDA\u2019s plan.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t want to bring anything in that would be negative for the community,\u201d said Rafael Berlanga, Primera\u2019s lead pastor and a Northside resident, during the Feburary 2025 meeting. \u201cAnd of all of the offers that we received, we see that this offer, this project, is going to benefit the neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n Those against the project argued that the development and its low-income tenants would lead to increased crime, traffic and disruption in the area.<\/p>\n The project ended up stalled.<\/p>\n \u201cThe developer\u2019s outreach was insufficient prior to the application date,\u201d Flores said at the Feburary 2025 meeting.<\/p>\n Mayor Mattie Parker and council members Chris Nettles and Elizabeth Beck voted against Flores\u2019 proposal to deny support for the project. Four other apartment projects<\/a> were endorsed by the council that night \u2014 Avenue at Lancaster, HiLine at Everman, HiLine at Risinger and Pioneer Crossing.<\/p>\n Flores did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the developer\u2019s new proposal for senior housing.<\/p>\n![\"Dec.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/20139668.jpg\" "\\"20139668.jpg\\"")
Dec. 12, 1953: A new elementary building at North Fort Worth Baptist Church. Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection\/UT Arlington Libraries Special Collections <\/p>\n![\"This](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Fort_Worth_Star_Telegram_1941_08_09_10.jpg\" "\\"Fort_Worth_Star_Telegram_1941_08_09_10.jpg\\"")
This rendering of a new $75,000 auditorium at North Fort Worth Baptist Church published in the Star-Telegram on Aug. 9, 1941. Star-Telegram <\/p>\n