On Tuesday, the Fort Worth City Council adopted the East Berry Street Corridor Plan. The plan provides recommendations for the creation of a mixed-use corridor from I-35 to the edge of Lake Arlington, which would redesign the road to support walking, biking and transit for residents.
The study began in January 2023 and ended in August 2024 and focused on safety and operational improvements to the roadway to spur economic development and increase travel options. Consultants conducted four rounds of open houses, a series of focus groups and surveys and maintained a website to keep the public informed and receive input. The plan contains recommendations only, and those recommendations include the installation of fiber and cooling pavement and selection of nine strategic sites to bolster economic development. The full draft of the plan is available to review.
The project aims to reconstruct East Berry Street using Complete Streets design standards with the goal of enhancing safety and comfort for all users, supporting transit and providing necessary elements for swift capital delivery and economic development. The main outputs are recommendations for the schematic of the East Berry Street improvements from IH-35 to Miller Avenue. The plan and the schematic will increase the City’s competitiveness when grants and other funding opportunities arise. The plan will also be incorporated into the 2050 Comprehensive Plan.
With the approval, the plan’s recommended form-based code, potential zoning changes on parcels to match the newly adopted form-based code and Master Thoroughfare Plan amendments will be executed. This series of adoptions lays the foundation by which the City can turn the plan into projects that achieve the desired goals and outcomes. The proposed schedule is as follows:
- Plan Adoption: Spring 2025
- Master Thoroughfare Plan Amendment: Spring/summer 2025
- Form-Based Code Adoption: Fall 2025
- Zoning Amendments to Match Form-Based Code: Fall/winter 2025
- East Berry Schematic from I-35 to Miller Avenue: Fall 2025
East Berry Street from Cobb Park Drive to US-287 is currently under consideration for the 2026 Bond Program. A comprehensive engagement strategy was completed by the City’s consultant, Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc., to gather feedback from the community and stakeholders on street design, transportation priorities, zoning and economic development.
The plan won the Texas American Planning Association Gold award for transportation plans at the 2024 Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association Conference.
