Fort Worth's Panther Island to become a mixed-use waterfront district, plan shows

The city of Fort Worth is rolling out its latest vision for the long-awaited Panther Island project.

The Vision 2.0 plan would turn the stretch of largely underdeveloped land next to downtown into a mixed-use waterfront district, possibly including apartments, businesses, and hotels.

“This is actually a very rare opportunity,” said Michael Hennig, Economic Development Manager for Fort Worth. “It’s hard to find anywhere else in the country where you have this much acreage of developable land so close to the heart of a major city.”

First introduced in 2003, the city’s Panther Island and Central City plan has focused on two goals: flood control and economic development.

In 2023, the US Army Corps of Engineers provided a grant of more than $400 million to build a new bypass channel in the Panther Island area to reduce consistent flooding from the Trinity River. This effort is set to be completed by 2032.

The other side of the plan is transforming more than 380 acres of public land on Panther Island into a destination.

“That will create a one of a kind, vibrant waterfront district at the heart of Fort Worth,” said Hennig.

City leaders told NBC 5 that the updated vision could bring a range of potential developments to Panther Island, including high-rise apartments, hotels, office space, and retail shops.

“Everything is going to go up, they’re going to try to push us out from here,” said Eduardo Cruz, owner of Edem Body Shop.

The new vision has come as a concern to some in the community.

Eduardo Cruz moved his business to Panther Island from Arlington, where he said the arrival of nearby AT&T Stadium drove up his costs for rent and utilities until he had no choice but to leave.

He worried that the Panther Island project would do the same to the businesses already located there and to families living in the historic neighborhoods near Panther Island, like the largely Hispanic Northside.

“I feel bad for those people because they’ve been here for a long time,” Cruz said. But the city—I think the city’s just looking for its benefits, and they don’t see the people.”

NBC 5 took those concerns to the city of Fort Worth.

In response, project leaders said the city has conducted outreach events to hear and address stakeholders' concerns about the Panther Island project.

“Who in many cases have been there for generations,” said Hennig. “How do we produce a long-term outcome that responds to their goals for the area, the kind of vision that they have for their neighborhoods.”

Project leaders said the next community meeting is set for 4 p.m. on March 28 at the Rose Marine Theater at 1440 North Main Street.

With the total investment in the plan set to exceed $1 billion, city leaders told NBC5 they hoped to make the new Panther Island represent all of Fort Worth.

“You really can’t find anything else like this anywhere else in the country,” Hennig said. “And so this is a once in a generation opportunity to make the most of that.”

Due to ongoing zoning processes, project managers said there was no set timeline yet for when Panther Island will be fully developed. Still, some of the land is already open for development.

Panther Island Vision 2.0 Plan