16 replies to this topic

[Jeriat]

I've been thinking of the 200 Taylor Street superblock and how to improve it and make it more attractive. And honestly, getting rid of the Tarrant County Plaza building is the MAIN thing to focus on. There's plenty of space in downtown for those offices. 

That section of downtown is another black hole that could be changed with the right development in mind. Kevin mentioned breaking the block up into 4 blocks again, and I thought it would be a good idea to do so... with one "twist" added... 

 

 

Adding a roundabout. 

Since the area has 2 lane roads, the roundabout would be two lanes as well. There's not really that much traffic around there, either, so I don't see the need for it to be any wider. 

In case you're wondering what that's supposed to be in the center, it's just my Burnett Sky Tower idea I had last year. Just bringing it over as a centerpiece. But for the 4 blocks, I only have a couple ideas in mind right now. 

 - Downtown Dog Park (which would MORE than replace that little spot on the corner of Throckmorton and 4th)

 - restaurant(s)

 - park 

 

That's all, right now. Still thinking about that.

 

Here's how the tower would look in this spot:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Again, I hate that we can't delete buildings with the new renderings of Fort Worth on Google Earth, but it's still better than it was)

 

Basically, this is another Sundance, only in 4 (actually 5) block form with an 800'+ tower dead center of it. I'll keep working on this and look for what I'd want to do, specifically for each of those 4 blocks. 

[Now in Denton]

That whole block is so odd . A sunken garden that don't look inviting at all. I remember it was a mega slanted parking lot at one time . And I think you could park for free. I like too see a needle . Think of the views you could see of the TRV. One floor for restaurants . Other floor just for sightseeing.

[Jeriat]

That whole block is so odd . A sunken garden that don't look inviting at all. I remember it was a mega slanted parking lot at one time . And I think you could park for free. I like too see a needle . Think of the views you could see of the TRV. One floor for restaurants . Other floor just for sightseeing.

 
I was thinking of making that northeast corner, the one near Subway, an amphitheatre. Seems like it would make sense.

I have that, a dog park (with a regular park), and restaurants in mind. That's 3 corners filled.
 
I just need an idea for the 4th corner...

[richcal]

I'm thinking residential for your fourth block. With the TCC campus a short walk away and the library across the street, this could be a great spot for students looking for affordable apartments.

[Austin55]

I like the tower idea. Not to knock your design, but I think there could be somehting more interesting. There's a lot of ufo's on sticks around the world. You could take inspiration from some of the more unique/beautiful landmarks out there, like the Space Needle, Gateway Arch, Eiffel Tower, Spinnaker Tower, or my favorite, Canton Tower.

[richcal]

Make the restaurant look like a giant cowboy hat. That would just scream "Fort Worth". Am I right?

[RD Milhollin]

Sorry Jeriat, I just don't see it the way you have set it out. If the old County Office building is to go the hole needs to be taken advantage of; just enlarge it for a 4-block underground parking structure, restore the grid at the surface, and allow full or half-block mixed-use retail-office-residential urban development. This is not a good place for a roundabout. That part of downtown doesn't need gimmicks and gratuitous open space, it needs density. Both Taylor and Lamar need to connect from the future (?) Hemphill connection to Belknap and Weatherford Streets for better traffic flow (the goofy Central Library will need to be replaced in a few years anyway) and this would help move people into and out of the 4-block area in question. A future streetcar would probably move along 2nd street, and maybe even 1st when the intrusive remains of the Tandy Center are finally opened up to east-west traffic and this would make the redeveloped area an even more attractive location to live or to do business. I just don't see the need for or the payoff from in-person tower cams or dog-poop-parks, at least not in this location. Downtown needs to be encouraged to grow, it needs mass and density, not tricks and gimmicks. 

[Austin55]

^ I think there's a lot to that to, this part of town probably doesn't have much appeal for anything residential. It's next to jail. 

 

Edit-posted my own thoughts here.http://www.fortworth...?showtopic=5028

 

 

Make the restaurant look like a giant cowboy hat. That would just scream "Fort Worth". Am I right?

 

 

[Jeriat]

Sorry Jeriat, I just don't see it the way you have set it out. If the old County Office building is to go the hole needs to be taken advantage of; just enlarge it for a 4-block underground parking structure, restore the grid at the surface, and allow full or half-block mixed-use retail-office-residential urban development. This is not a good place for a roundabout. That part of downtown doesn't need gimmicks and gratuitous open space, it needs density. Both Taylor and Lamar need to connect from the future (?) Hemphill connection to Belknap and Weatherford Streets for better traffic flow (the goofy Central Library will need to be replaced in a few years anyway) and this would help move people into and out of the 4-block area in question. A future streetcar would probably move along 2nd street, and maybe even 1st when the intrusive remains of the Tandy Center are finally opened up to east-west traffic and this would make the redeveloped area an even more attractive location to live or to do business. I just don't see the need for or the payoff from in-person tower cams or dog-poop-parks, at least not in this location. Downtown needs to be encouraged to grow, it needs mass and density, not tricks and gimmicks. 

 

I really don't see how it's "gimmicky". The only thing I feel like I've done that's a gimmick is the Tornado Concept I had for the AT&T Building.

 

The whole purpose of this is to make it more appealing, and honestly, this was the first to come to mind. With this spot next to jails, I really couldn't picture much else. The dog park and open park only came to mind because of 2 things: the hotel that's supposed to replace the surface lot (and small dog rest area, I would assume) across the street from The Tower, and Hunter Plaza being right across the street. If it wasn't for the Hunter Plaza project's reemergence I would have thought of something else.

I respect your opinion and I don't mind being challenged. That said, I'm still going to keep going with this, just to see how it would look.

 

If I feel that it's not working, I'll just back out of the thread. But the main thing here is to at least get some people thinking of what to do with that block.

[renamerusk]

 

The whole purpose of this is to make it more appealing, and honestly, this was the first to come to mind. With this spot next to jails, I really couldn't picture much else....

 

 

I am on the record for thinking that additional jails in downtown was going to be detrimental to the surrounding area; however, I now find the new jail to be neither a negative or a hindrance to the development in this sector of downtown. Actually the jail complex is far less offensive than I might have imagined and so far has not been danger to its nearby neighbors.

 

About the Tarrant County Building, the few times that I have been inside (for early voting and public records)  it always has the feeling of being largely under populated by staffing. 

 

I would think this site, if it ever came available as the County needs change downwardly, would be high on the list of the two potential re-purposing sites for the permanent campus of the Texas A&M Law School; the other, as I have suggested, would be the current city hall building.

[JBB]

Elaborate towers like this seem to be a losing proposition in Texas.  There just really isn't much to see once you're up there and the novelty seems to wear out pretty quick.  The owners of Reunion Tower had no qualms about keeping the observation deck closed for 6 years for renovation.  Tower of the Americas in San Antonio struggled for years before being bailed out by Landry's in the early 2000's (I would concede that Reunion Tower and a tower in Fort Worth would offer up much better views than ToA).  Even the owners of The Tower felt that there was more money to be made in abandoning their elevated restaurant and using the space as a penthouse condo.  And Reata is easily the most successful restaurant to operate downtown. 

[Jeriat]

Still figuring things out, but going with this set up.... for now.

[RD Milhollin]

^ I think there's a lot to that to, this part of town probably doesn't have much appeal for anything residential. It's next to jail. 

 

This isn't the Monopoly board. Just because the site is adjacent to the jail and courts complex doesn't mean it is "low rent". Does the area smell bad? Look bad? I would offer that the inside of the close-by jail is probably a place to avoid, but the outside of the buildings that house it are actually surprisingly handsome. Is the area "dangerous"? I would bet that anyone incarcerated there would want to get as far away as quickly as possible once they are released. There always seem to be plenty of peace officers in the area, working of course, but immediately available if some street crime was to occur close by. I would estimate there are a lot of areas less desirable to live in, especially if one was looking for an urban environment next to those sorts of amenities. It would be good to see different kinds of residential there, some that appeal to the service workers downtown as well as the lawyers and judges who work there; and why not all in the same building but on different sets of floors. I definitely see potential in this area, and appreciate Jeriat starting a thread with a plan for redevelopment. Just because I don't agree with his specific ideas doesn't mean the discussion should be abandoned; quite the contrary.

[Stadtplan]

https://www.tdlr.tex.../TABS2023013589

 

PROJECT

Project Name: Tarrant County Plaza Building-Third Floor Renovations

Project Number: TABS2023013589

Facility Name: Tarrant County Plaza Building

Location Address: 200 Taylor Street

Fort Worth, TX 76102

Location County: Tarrant

Start Date: 5/15/2023

Completion Date: 11/15/2023

Estimated Cost: $2,300,000

Type of Work: Renovation/Alteration

Type of Funds: This project involves public funds, public land, or is a Federally funded roadway project.

Scope of Work: Interior renovations on a portion of the third floor in a seven-story office building for offices for the County Transportation Department and the Facilities Management Department.

Square Footage: 17,600 ft 2

[Stadtplan]

Project Description:

TC Plaza Parking Garage Expansion

Expansion of existing parking garage. ROW improvements including widening sidewalks, additional trees, street lighting, reduced street parking.

 

Record PDC-23-0033: 

Pre-Development Conference

Record Status: In Review

https://aca-prod.acc...ShowInspection=

 

 

 

[John T Roberts]

The layout of the garage is what I expected, since it was obvious to me that they did not build a drive with parking on either side on the western side of the building.

[Stadtplan]

https://www.tdlr.tex.../TABS2024008004

 

PROJECT

Project Name: TC Plaza Parking Garage Expansion

Project Number: TABS2024008004

Facility Name: Plaza Parking Garage

Location Address: 601 W Weatherford Street

Fort Worth, TX 76102

Location County: Tarrant

Start Date: 7/21/2024

Completion Date: 12/7/2025

Estimated Cost: $7,500,000

Type of Work: Additions to Existing Building

Type of Funds: This project involves public funds, public land, or is a Federally funded roadway project.

Scope of Work: Add a parking bay to an existing eight level parking garage. 108,000 SF

Square Footage: 108,000 ft 2