Mayor Mattie Parker indicated her support for creating a community-led action committee to prevent gentrification and displacement of residents in Fort Worth’s historically Hispanic Northside on Tuesday. 

Such a committee would help prioritize the needs of Northside residents and hold city officials accountable as Panther Island development continues to progress and impact the neighborhood. 

“I think, honestly, especially with the work that I’ve done in the Northside area, you gain a lot more rapport by listening and not talking, especially since there’s a cultural disconnect,” Parker said. “For me, there’s a language disconnect … that is what it is, and you’re not going to change it, nor should you try to.” 

Parker’s comments come 10 days after a panel of national real estate and development experts delivered recommendations on how to preserve Northside’s cultural identity and heritage amid progress on Panther Island. The $1.16 billion Central City flood control project is expected to reroute part of the Trinity River by 2032 and create 300-plus acres of riverwalk development in the process. 

The panel, composed of eight members of the global research network Urban Land Institute, visited Fort Worth for a week to study the area that will be affected by new residential and commercial development between downtown and Northside. 

The panelists’ visit and study were part of a $230,000 initiative launched earlier this year to ensure equitable development in the Northside and Historic Marine neighborhoods as the Panther Island project advances. 

The Urban Land Institute panelists presented their list of recommendations during a Sept. 20 event at Artes de la Rosa in Northside. Parker, who was not in attendance at that event due to scheduling conflicts, spoke publicly on the recommendations for the first time during an Oct. 1 event at The Fort Worth Club in downtown. 

For Parker, one of the most impactful recommendations was panelists’ suggestion that residents come together to form a community action committee that would help ignite engagement across the neighborhood. Panelists said the committee should be made up of 13 to 15 residents who can serve as community liaisons between the neighborhood and city officials. 

To form the committee, panelists recommended the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce host a monthlong open call for residents to apply. Once formed, the committee would provide input on development projects and opportunities as a legitimate body recognized by the city. 

Anette Landeros, president of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, led the conversation with Parker during the Oct. 1 event. She said the chamber has begun discussions about what the committee could potentially look like and will announce details, including how to get involved, in the coming months. 

“We’re just hashing out all the details right now, and then there’ll be a public call out hopefully before the end of the year,” Landeros told the Report after the event. 

Other items that Parker said she could potentially support is their recommendation to reinvest in Marine Park, a community park in Northside where Tejano music legend Selena Quintanilla once performed. 

Urban Land Institute panelists said the city should reinvest in the park to transform it into a focal point of the neighborhood. One way they can do so is by allocating funds from the city’s 2026 bond program toward the park.

“Marine Park is an idea that I think is worth exploring,” Parker said. “There are limited bond funds … but I can see a scenario where, if the city really wants to be catalytic in their investment of dollars in specialized parks, this would make a lot of sense.”

In addition, Parker said she is open to recommendations regarding housing affordability. Panelists presented various options to address rising housing costs and prevent multigenerational families from getting displaced from Northside, but Parker said the state Legislature will also play a large role in addressing the housing crisis. She said state officials must focus on this issue, or Texas will soon be “just like California.” 

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has named housing affordability as one of 57 priorities for the next legislative session, which begins in January. Assistant City Manager Dana Burghdoff will represent Fort Worth and “lead that charge” during the upcoming legislative session, Parker said. 

On a city level, Parker said there is a “huge opportunity” to lean into the types of middle-income housing that Fort Worth currently lacks. Panelists recommended that city officials allow denser housing options, such as accessory dwelling units and residential space above retail strips. 

To do so, Parker acknowledged that the city will have to push back against residents who oppose mixed housing options. 

“The problem is — and I don’t mean this to be rude — that folks that actually get most vocal and upset about these things are usually pretty set in their ways, and they’re probably economically just fine,” Parker said. “They’re just worried about their single-family neighborhood never changing, and with the (rate) of growth the city has, we’re going to have to do something differently.” 

Parker noted that her own family benefits from mixed housing options, as her mother lives in an accessory dwelling unit on her property. Accessory dwelling units became a hot button issue last year, when City Council members delayed approval of a housing affordability strategy after some residents protested the strategy’s support of the units. The strategy eventually earned council approval. 

“This has been a topic on a few different occasions since my tenure as mayor, and it can be controversial,” Parker said. “I would be a huge hypocrite if I wasn’t a supporter for ADUs.”

As the Panther Island development continues to progress, Parker said she is committed to addressing the needs of Northside residents, and she hopes to keep residents both informed and engaged in conversations with officials. 

Parker plans to keep working on communication channels between officials and residents, so residents can feel like they’re the first to know when changes occur. Work to engage the community will be key in addressing gentrification as the project moves forward, she added. 

“If you want to gain trust of a community, you invest in that community,” Parker said. 

Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org or @bycecilialenzen. 

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