7 replies to this topic

[Jeriat]

PROJECT: Northwest Downtown

EXISTING LANDMARKS: Tarrant County Courhouse, TCC Downtown Campus west, City Place, Chesapeake Plaza, Hunter Plaza, Mallick Tower, Cash America Building, Tarrant County Plaza

PROPOSED/ONCE PROPOSED/FUTURE PROJECTS: 50 story building west of City Place (now Tarrant County Plaza), City Place redevelopment, 2nd Street reopened.

ANALYSIS: This area (close to the jails and courts) has potential to be and have more than it has now. This corner of downtown has a mix of residential and office. There's been work on City Place already, currently opening up 2nd Street. In the further northwest corner lies a big parking lot that once held stops for the Tandy Center subway, which now sits abandoned with no tracks or anything. Next to it are a few old houses and some industrial.

CONCEPT

I feel that there's MUCH that can be done here... even though I only have a few new buildings in my mind. I want to do something with that big lot. There's just TOOOOOO much asphalt there and it's right next to the Trinity. I think it would be best to have some mixed development with residential in that corner, especially considering how it's good walking distance from a community college and apartments. As for the two tall skyscrapers, one is a mixed use (office, hotel, ground retail) 50 story tower across the street from City Place, the other is an office building for Sony. Notice how it's shaped like a PS3. The other buildings are much shorter office and/or mixed use buildings to add to the human scale of this area.





Sony Tower (in front) / Tarrant County Plaza Tower (back)


From the Courthouse steps


Top View


Elevation..... yes, I know the Courthouse is floating. It's supposed to represent the elevation. For some reason, it only happened for the Courthouse.

[urbancowboy]

I wonder if you could work in how a reopened Tandy Center subway might fit into the equation. I mean this is fantasy at this point right? lol

[Jeriat]

I wonder if you could work in how a reopened Tandy Center subway might fit into the equation. I mean this is fantasy at this point right? lol

I'd love to. Just would take a while to see how I could bring it back...

[ron4Life]

I know re-routing the trinity is on it way.. But how about a 33 acres Swimming Pool? This story really caught my attention on the Huffington Post website. If you notice from the photos, there's sand on the edges.. excellent idea for an inter-land beach of some sorts. A tourist attraction indeed

[AndyN]

I wonder if you could work in how a reopened Tandy Center subway might fit into the equation. I mean this is fantasy at this point right? lol

I saw a proposal the other day to do just that. Or at least a portion thereof.

[wfsmith10]

I wonder if you could work in how a reopened Tandy Center subway might fit into the equation. I mean this is fantasy at this point right? lol

I saw a proposal the other day to do just that. Or at least a portion thereof.

Exciting news...... how amazing would it be if it was not only re-opened but extended about 1,000 yards across the trinity and had a final stop on the western end of w7th st? Imagine the synergies if those two bustling areas had that sort of connectivity...

[Jeriat]

I wonder if you could work in how a reopened Tandy Center subway might fit into the equation. I mean this is fantasy at this point right? lol

I saw a proposal the other day to do just that. Or at least a portion thereof.

Exciting news...... how amazing would it be if it was not only re-opened but extended about 1,000 yards across the trinity and had a final stop on the western end of w7th st? Imagine the synergies if those two bustling areas had that sort of connectivity...

Just imagine if downtown truly connected with ALL the adjacent Urban Villages....

[John S.]

I wonder if you could work in how a reopened Tandy Center subway might fit into the equation. I mean this is fantasy at this point right? lol

I saw a proposal the other day to do just that. Or at least a portion thereof.

Exciting news...... how amazing would it be if it was not only re-opened but extended about 1,000 yards across the trinity and had a final stop on the western end of w7th st? Imagine the synergies if those two bustling areas had that sort of connectivity...

Just imagine if downtown truly connected with ALL the adjacent Urban Villages....

These are all excellent ideas and proposals but quite unlikely to gain much traction in the polarized political climate we're now in. Many of us can see great public benefits from these proposed projects while others would lump it in as just another egregious example of wasteful government spending. Others might say let private developers take on these projects but they can't fund any project of this magnitude and purpose without a guaranty of short-term profits. Only the government(s) can invest the kind of long-term money it takes to make these projects happen. So little would get done in this county if all government investment was curbed but that's exactly what some are passionately arguing for. My spouse and I just returned from a grueling thousand mile road trip that took us to Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Indiana and Ohio. With surprising regularity you could expect to encounter Interstate highway construction and/or delays about every 60 miles or so on average. Those areas not under construction or repair were often like obstacle courses for cars with the badly damaged pavement and potholes. I'd love to see some of these proposed FW projects happen but doubtful they will in my lifetime.