More jobs and services could come to East Berry Street as the city kicks off the corridor study
Fort Worth is planning a makeover for a 6-mile stretch of East Berry Street corridor, from Riverside Drive east to Lake Arlington.
Residents are being asked to share their input as the city begins its corridor planning study.
“This will not be just a nice visionary plan. This will also lead to real construction, land-use policy coordination, and economic development,” said Kelly Porter, deputy director of transportation and public works for the City of Fort Worth.
The study aims to determine how to create “a safe, equitable, inclusive and thriving corridor”.
East Berry is a rapidly growing area of Fort Worth, with a population increase of 20.4% since 2010.
The first house open to the public was held on May 4 at the Fort Worth Public Library – East Berry Branch. Visitors were able to share feedback on proposed improvements to the area.
Tracy Rolla, one of the open house attendees, has lived in the area for 17 years. More businesses down the hall would be nice, she said.
“I’d like to see maybe a nice family restaurant, maybe a movie theater or restaurants to dine in,” Rolla said. “I would like to see maybe a mall with shops. Facilities for young and old. And jobs too. There must be companies up to 820″.
Want to share what you want to see along East Berry Street?
The city’s online survey is now available here. An interactive map is also being published to allow residents to see the area affected by the future plan.
East Berry has long suffered from years of divestment. A lack of job opportunities in the area meant more workers had to move outside of East Berry instead of keeping their dollars in the community, according to data presented at the open house.
But recent efforts to revitalize the area, such as the construction of Renaissance Square in southeast Fort Worth, have opened the door for more jobs and economic growth.
“There is more money going into the area than going out because that was a big economic boom. So people have dollars to spend in their community, and people will come from outside the community to spend their dollars here,” Porter said.
The study will also look into future land use for the area.
About 70% of East Berry is residential and only 10% is commercial. Mixed use accounts for about 14% of the land.
Mary Clark has lived in the area for 51 years. While she would like to see more commercial development along East Berry, she is concerned that some of the redevelopment will dignify the area.
“It would be nice to have nice sidewalks, restaurants, but people are going to have to lose their homes to have that,” Clark said.
Demographics of East Berry
About 46.3 percent of area residents identify as Hispanic, according to city data.
- 26.2% white
- 31.9% black
- 21.7% other
The median household income in East Berry is $41,294.
Other areas of interest in the study include transportation and security. Using money from the 2022 bond and the East Berry tax increase funding district, the city could add new sidewalks, footpaths and bikeways, as well as improve intersections and lighting.
Right now, about 62% of the area has no sidewalks.
The city will hold a second open meeting in September. The study and resulting action plan are expected to be finalized and adopted in March 2024.
“We will update the traffic plan based on different elements of the study. So it’s really about action,” Porter said.
Sandra Sadek is a member of the Report for America corps, covering growth for the Fort Worth Report. You can reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter at @ssadek19.
At Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial backers. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
