With More Population Growth On The Horizon, Fort Worth Maps Future Of Open Space Preservation

Arlington TX

28 March, 2022

6:05 PM

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By Haley Samsel, Fort Worth Report March 27, 2022 Fort Worth's journey toward creating an open space preservation program began with a question from City Manager David Cooke in 2019: If the city wanted to identify the top 20 parcels to preserve, how would staff go about doing it? The inquiry came at a pivotal time for the city, which was losing an estimated 2,800 acres of natural prairie per year to development. The explosive growth hasn't slowed down, with people moving to Fort Worth and North Texas in droves during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than two years later, City Council members are preparing to vote on a 137-page strategy report prepared by Fort Worth's stormwater management department and the Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit organization hired by the city to research the best paths forward for the Open Space Conservation program. The group also produced an online mapping tool displaying areas across Fort Worth that are high-priority for preservation. The program, which was originally funded by about $11 million from the city's oil and gas revenue fund, has nearly run out of money, said Brandi Kelp, a senior planner in Fort Worth's transportation and public works department. City staff are seeking $15 million in the May 7 bond election to fund future acquisitions. To read the full article, click here. Fort Worth Report is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that produces factual, in-depth journalism about city and county government, schools, healthcare, business, and arts and culture in Tarrant County. Always free to read; subscribe to newsletters, read coverage or support our newsroom at fortworthreport.org.