Fort Worth Housing Solutions and development partner McCormack Baron Salazar have finalized architectural renderings for Cowan Place, the mixed-income, senior living community that forms Phase I of the Stop Six Choice Neighborhood Initiative.
The 174-unit, four-story development south of East Rosedale Street and west of Stalcup Road will feature stucco, brick and metal facades in a contemporary design notable for its lighted “lantern” that signals a bright, modern future for one of Fort Worth’s historic communities, architects say.
“The idea is that if you are headed west on Rosedale, you will see immediately that something is different in this community,” said Michael Bennett, principal and CEO of Bennett Benner Partners, Cowan Place architect. “It’s a building that is modern, crisp and forward-looking.”
City Councilmember Gyna Bivens, whose District 5 includes Stop Six, called the renderings “breathtakingly beautiful” and an emblem of renaissance for Stop Six.
“Not only is this apartment complex a gateway to the west, it is also a beacon welcoming senior citizens who will call it home,” Bivens said. “When you think of the access to services that will be available to senior citizens and the larger community, Cowan Place will definitely be a social anchor in this community.”
The $35.3 million Cowan Place is the first of six planned phases of affordable housing for this southeast Fort Worth community and the first new housing development of any magnitude in Stop Six in decades.
The development is named for Alonzo and Sarah Cowan, who purchased three acres in the community in 1902 and donated land for the area’s first church. Stop Six initially was known as Cowanville in recognition of the family’s contribution and later renamed for its post on a Fort Worth-Dallas electric streetcar line.
In April 2020, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded Fort Worth Housing Solutions and the City of Fort Worth a coveted $35 million Choice Neighborhood Initiative Implementation Grant to seed development outlined in a related Transformation Plan. In all, Fort Worth Housing Solutions will develop more than 1,000 new units of mixed-income rental housing across the community. The HUD grant is expected to leverage $345 million in investment over six years for the neighborhood.
Cowan Place plans call for 163 one-bedroom units and 11 with two-bedrooms. Each unit will have washer and dryer connections in the units, but space is also provided for community laundry areas.
The development will wrap around a central courtyard terraced to fit the natural slope of the site. Ground-floor community spaces include room for a library and theater, fitness studio, salon, billiards, crafts and private meetings with healthcare professionals. Common spaces are designed to open out onto the courtyard. Many of the large oak trees on the vacant site will be preserved.
The plan also includes an exterior art wall at the main entry facing Stalcup, a space that could bring residents together with area high school or university students to create community exhibits, Bennett said.
Rents will be reduced for qualified low-income households. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2021 with substantial completion in fall 2022. Cowan Place should provide homes for up to 48 former Cavile Place residents who wish to return to their neighborhood.
In July, Fort Worth Housing Solutions announced the selection of dlb Consultants of Arlington to provide construction support consulting services for the first phase of Cowan Place.
The Arlington-based firm, led by founder Demetria Bivens, will create, direct, implement and manage the Section 3 and Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise program for the community of one- and two-bedroom units tailored for seniors, Fort Worth Housing Solutions said in a news release. She is not related to Fort Worth City Councilwoman Gyna Bivens.