Tag: Panther Island

Dirt might finally start turning on Panther Island in 2026, roughly a quarter of a century after its inception.

The idea to revitalize the Trinity River began in 2001, with plans for an 800-acre district north of downtown emerging years later. The idea was to reconnect the community to the river after it was cut off when the earthen levees were built following the 1949 flood.

It then became a flood control project to improve the Trinity River levee system by connecting two sections of the river north of downtown.

It has since split into two projects to distinguish between the flood control work being done by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the development work being done by private developers in coordination with the city of Fort Worth and Tarrant Regional Water District. Officials haven’t updated the cost of the project since 2018, when they put the price tag at $1.17 billion.

The project has faced repeated setbacks, from changes in the plans, to construction delays on the bridges, to a block in funding during the first Trump administration. In 2022, the project received $403 million from the 2021 Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act.

Meanwhile, the city of Fort Worth and Tarrant Regional Water District have been busy preparing the island for development to go hand in glove with the Army Corps’ flood control work. A March 2024 consultant’s plan envisions a 338-acre island, with a walkable business and entertainment district.

There is a lot of work to be done, both on flood control and development, but the island may finally begin to take shape in 2026.

The flood control bit

Construction is expected to begin this summer on the most visible part of the project — the 1.5 mile bypass channel. Work will start on the northern portion near the Main Street Bridge and is expected to take three years, Kate Beck, the water district program director, said during a Nov. 6 meeting of the Trinity River Vision Authority board.

The southern half is still in the design phase. It will run under the Henderson Street and Westside Drive bridges before opening onto a section of the Trinity River across from City Hall.

The Corps has enough money for the design portion, but will need more for construction. The same is true for the Samuels Avenue dam, a pump station and three floodgates.

The Corps will also start work to restore some of the ecosystem of the Ham Branch stream in Harmon Park. The park is one of several so-called “valley storage” sites meant to hold back floodwater.

The restoration includes planting trees, grasses, and transforming an urban waterway into a natural channel, according to a project page on the Army Corps’s website.

Development on the island

The Tarrant Regional Water District put out a call on Oct. 16 looking for developers to purchase land around a section of the island’s internal canal system.

The district owns about 36 acres on the island that can be developed without waiting for the bypass channel. This initial section will focus on an area bordered by North Main Street to the west, Northwest Fifth Street to the north, Northwest Fourth Street to the south and the levee to the east.

However, the district wouldn’t turn down developers in areas outside that first canal zone, said Susan Alanis, the waster district program director.

The area in the initial phase will have all the necessary water, sewer and drainage pipes in place, so it’ll be easiest for developers to work there first, she said.

The water district set aside $12.4 million in its 2026 budget to build a section of canal in that area. It expects to start by the middle of 2026, according to water district documents.

The site of the Coyote Drive-In will be turned into a park. The pavilion will stay, but the rest of the area will be turned into a park, according to water district documents.

The pavilion is a real asset for the water district, Alanis said. It has a beer garden atmosphere, and will create the kind of fun atmosphere the district is looking for on the island, she said.

The city of Fort Worth tweaked its zoning rules to encourage development along North Main Street and the area where the water district plans to build the first canal.

The city is still working on more sweeping updates to zoning rules on the island, but those won’t get a public airing until sometime in 2026, assistant city manager Dana Burghdoff said in the Nov. 6 meeting.

The canal will be near a 1.5 acre parcel owned by Austin-based developer Seco Ventures. The company bought 26 acres on the island in 2023, making it the island’s largest private landowner.

Seco started land planning for a 300-unit apartment complex at 508 N. Main St., which, once completed, will usher in a new era for Panther Island, founding partner Josh Needham said in an email the Star-Telegram.

He praised the work of the city and the water district to lay the groundwork for development on the island, saying it has created a clear path for Seco to secure the needed funding for its project in the coming year.

Seco is working with the city and other government agencies to set up a special taxing district to fund improvements on the island, Needham said.

“Panther Island is a place rich in history and character; we’re simply bringing that legacy back to life,” he said.

Beyond 2026

In the coming years, Panther Island will lean into its strengths around river and trail access and along with the new canals and future parks, Seco’s Needham said.

“With those advantages, our task is to build spaces that enable the lifestyle they make possible,” he said.

Seco owns land surrounding the former LaGrave Field grandstand that was demolished in February.

The company hasn’t released details for how it plans to develop those properties, but Needham shared a concept rendering from Lake Flato Architects showing a mixture of hotels, apartments, offices, a music venue and a grocery store.

The construction of the other phases of the flood control project are still up in the air except work in Rockwood Park and along University Drive.

The Army Corps plans to dig out a section of Rockwood Park along the Trinity River for another valley storage site.

The Corps also plans to use some of that dirt to raise a section of North University Drive between Rockwood Park Drive and Jacksboro Highway.

The road will be raised 12 to 15 feet to act as another buffer against floodwater escaping the river. The section is at risk during a major flooding event, so this will stop the road from being washed out.

Construction on the section of University Drive is expected to take 18 months, and is expected to start sometime in 2029 to line up with the completion of the northern section of the bypass channel.

In the meantime, the city plans to build a new access road to help traffic bypass the construction site.

The access road will curve behind the businesses that sit on the blocked section of North University Drive and dump traffic out onto Jacksboro Highway just north of the Super Star Car Wash, according to a presentation at the Nov. 6 TRVA board meeting.

Construction of the access road will start in 2026, and take about a year to complete.

This story was originally published January 2, 2026 at 5:00 AM.