Your vision and dreams are essential.
We hope you will be a part of Envision Hemphill, a multi-day, community-led visioning workshop scheduled for December 7th-10th at the Fire Station Community Center.
We strongly encourage you, your families, and your neighbors to participate and help shape the next two key components of the Near Southside's ongoing renaissance: A reconfigured Hemphill Street between Vickery and Biddison, and a major expansion of Fire Station Park at 1616 Hemphill.
What specifically will be the focus of Envision Hemphill?
This important workshop will directly influence the design and function of:
Hemphill Street between Vickery and Biddison - Our interactive survey at ArtsGoggle generated hundreds of responses showing strong support for protected bike lanes, safe crosswalks, on-street parking for retail, and other street design elements. Virtually all respondents agreed that the current configuration is not working well, with Hemphill being unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists and failing to promote new business activity and mixed-use development. We hope you'll share ideas on how to improve the street.
Expansion of Fire Station Park at 1616 Hemphill - The same ArtsGoggle survey generated enthusiastic support for elements that could be included into the design and programming for the currently vacant parcel at Hemphill and Maddox that would add over an acre to the existing Fire Station Park. Among those elements receiving the strongest support: Skate park, dog park, flexible spaces for farmers markets and public events, splash pad, interactive features for all ages, and well-shaded areas for relaxation. Your ideas at the workshop will directly influence the ultimate design and programming of the park.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
DNESDAY, DECEMBER 7T
5:30-7:30pm PUBLIC WORKSHOP
RETHINKING HEMPHILL:
Placemaking Possibilities for the Future
An introduction to placemaking, a visioning workshop, and a presentation on state-of-the-art bike infrastructure
cn Community Center
1601 Lipscomb Street, Fort Worth, TX 76104
THURSY, DECEMBER 8TH
9:30-11:30am PUBLIC WORKSHOP
WALK & RIDE AUDIT OF HEMPHILL STREET
Join us on foot or bicycle as we explore the current conditions of Hemphill Street to take note of areas in need of improvement.
11:30-12:30pm PUBLIC WORKSHOP
HEMPHILL OBSERVATIONS & CONVERSATION
Following the walk/ride audit, you are invited to join the Projects for Public Spaces & HDR Engineering team for an in depth discussion regarding the current conditions and future expectations for Hemphill Street. Your feedback at this meeting will shape the preliminary street designs that will be presented at the following meeting.
5:30-7:30pm PUBLIC WORKSHOP - YOUR ATTENDANCE IS CRITICAL.
THE STREET TAKES SHAPE
Presenting the preliminary Hemphill Street plans shaped by consultant research and community feedback.
Location for all events: Fire Station Community Center
1601 Lipscomb Street, Fort Worth, TX 76104
BER 9TH
5:30-7:30pm PUBLIC WORKSHOP
HOW TO "LQC":
A LIGHTER, QUICKER, CHEAPER ORIENTATION & PIZZA PARTY
Learn how simple efforts can transform Hemphill Street and Fire Station Park. Our consultants will present best practices and offer examples from other LQC efforts across the country. A group brainstorming session will follow and you are invited be part of the team that will create an LQC demonstration on Saturday, December 10 during the Hemphill Park Party.
Location: HopFusion Ale Works
200 E. Broadway Avenue, Fort Worth, TX 76104
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10TH
CREATING HEMPHILL PARK
Share your dreams and expectations for our new community park in a community workshop and park party to follow. Children are encouraged to participate and share their wishes for the future expansion of Fire Station Park.
10:00am-12:00pm PUBLIC WORKSHOP - YOUR ATTENDANCE IS CRITICAL.
Hemphill Park
Visioning Workshop
- Learn about park design opportunities and best practices
- Cast your vote for your favorite design features such as a splash pad, skate park, pump track for bikes, walking path, adult playground, etc.
- Bring the kids and let them share their ideas, too!
Location: Fire Station Community Center
1601 Lipscomb Street, Fort Worth, TX 76104
12:00pm-4:00pm A HANDS-ON COMMUNITY EVENT
HEMPHILL PARK PARTY
- Food Trucks
- Holiday Vendors
- Live Music
- Kids Activities
- Share your ideas for the future of Hemphill Park on our public comment boards
- Lend a helping hand during our LQC temporary park improvements
Location: Fire Station Park Expansion
1616 Hemphill Street, Fort Worth, TX 76104
Who are the partners behind Envision Hemphill?
A strong coalition of community groups have been working together for over two decades to promote improvements along Hemphill and throughout the Southside. The Hemphill Corridor Task Force, Near Southside, Inc., Historic Fairmount Neighborhood Association, I-CARE, Tax Increment Finance District #4, and the City of Fort Worth are the primary workshop partners, with additional support from LegacyTexas.
Who are the experts leading the sessions?
Project for Public Spaces is the international leader in creating vibrant parks and plazas that serve as treasured hubs of community life. PPS also leads a paradigm-shifting "streets as places" initiative aimed at creating streets that not only provide vehicular circulation, but function just as well for people riding bicycles, walking to school, shopping at local stores, or catching the bus.
HDR Engineering is the highly qualified multi-disciplinary firm that led the recently adopted update to the City of Fort Worth's Master Thoroughfare Plan (MTP). The updated MTP created a new set of street types that allow for the type of "complete street" design approach contemplated for Hemphill. HDR's familiarity with the MTP and leadership in promoting a new approach to street design made them an ideal match to oversee traffic engineering efforts for Hemphill.
Will street changes happen soon?
Yes! While Envision Hemphill should ultimately lead to a long-term vision plan for the street, the workshop's most immediate impact will be a re-striping plan that the City will implement as part of a resurfacing project scheduled for early 2017. Don't miss the presentation and discussion on Thursday evening, December 8th that focuses on these short-term and long-term street design options.
Will park improvements happen soon?
Not as quickly as the street re-striping, but yes! There will be additional design steps required between the workshop and the start of any construction, but the City has already allocated funding for the park's final design and a first phase of improvements. The conceptual plan and programming recommendations that come out of the workshop should directly shape those initial improvements and any future phases.
How can I help? How do I spread the word?
- Attend as many of the public workshops as possible on December 7-10. Save these dates to your calendar and plan on joining us for a exciting conversations about the future of Hemphill.
- Join the LQC Team planning to install temporary park and street improvements on Saturday, December 10. We'll be seeking donations for materials and pre-building a few key pieces to install during the park party. Contact megan@nearsouthsidefw.org for details about participating.
- Find, accept, share and invite friends to the Facebook event. CLICK HERE
Questions?
Mike Brennan, Near Southside, Inc. Planning Director
Megan Henderson, Near Southside, Inc. Director of Events