City of Fort Worth has a new HQ
City officials raised the Fort Worth flag Tuesday, Feb. 2, on a 20-story building that will be the new City Hall next year.
Fort Worth closed on the former Pier 1 building on Jan. 27. The purchase price was $69.5 million, and renovations will bring the total estimated project budget to $100 million. Renovations will include constructing new public meeting spaces and reconfiguring offices.
The former Pier 1 Imports headquarters building at 100 Energy Way is a landmark glass tower that commands the skyline on the west side of Fort Worth’s Downtown. The building is situated on an 11.9-acre site overlooking the Trinity River.
Duda Paine Architects LLP of Durham, North Carolina, was the design architect. Contractors were Thos. S. Byrne and Manhattan Construction.
An interdepartmental steering team of city employees will guide visioning, programming and transition for the new City Hall, the current City Hall and several other city-owned and leased buildings in Downtown and Near Southside.
The team will be assisted by a project management consultant, who will then hire an architect and construction manager-at-risk to complete renovations at the new City Hall. The business equity goal is 10% for project management.
Move-in is expected to begin in 2022.
It’s a trend: Fort Worth Housing Solutions has a new HQ
Fort Worth Housing Solutions is moving its headquarters to the renovated, open concept office building at 1407 Texas St. in downtown Fort Worth.
The purchase of the Texas Street property closed Dec. 18, 2020. The FWHS Board of Commissioners approved a contract last week with Fort Worth-based Bennett Benner Partners to do interior design and renovation work.
The 26,000-square-foot building features office space, work stations and spacious conference and meeting rooms on three levels, including the basement, and includes a third-floor observation deck overlooking the city.
The Texas Street building was originally built in 1955 and renovated in 2015, when it housed Simpl.fi, a Fort Worth-based digital advertising business that has moved to the Historic Stockyards. The building was originally designed by renowned Fort Worth architect Preston Geren.
The move follows the December closing of Butler Place, the city’s last public housing community, located on 42 acres on the eastern edge of downtown. The 412-unit community opened in 1940 and was closed as part of FWHS strategy to deconcentrate poverty and allow residents to use rental assistance at homes of their choice across the city.
FWHS has operated from the historic Carver-Hamilton Elementary School building adjacent to Butler since 1995. The agency is working with its Butler Advisory Committee on preservation efforts related to the historic school building and with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on dispensation of the Butler property, which is currently restricted for public housing use.
“The 2020 closing of Butler was a milestone for our city – it gave families the opportunity to relocate to neighborhoods with better access to jobs, transportation, quality schools and services, such as grocery stores,” FWHS President Mary-Margaret Lemons said. “This shift allowed our agency to move to a headquarters with better access for the people we serve and the modern amenities and technology we need to support them.”
$24M mixed-use project to break ground in Kennedale
OM Housing has announced the development and upcoming groundbreaking of the 112-unit, approximately $24-million multifamily community known as Hammack Creek Apartment homes. The 112,112-square-foot property will be a mixed income project located on 7.35 acres at 337 Kennedale Sublett Road in Kennedale.
The project is financed by Colliers Mortgage LLC, Boston Financial, US Department of Housing and Urban Development and Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.
Hammack Creek will create more than 150 construction jobs and six permanent jobs for Kennedale.
Kennedale’s population has grown 17% in the last decade and the city is a thriving community for young families seeking a small town feel while being minutes from arts, entertainment and other amenities offered by surrounding larger cities.
“The city is excited about the development of Village at Hammack Creek on Kennedale Parkway,” said George Campbell, City Manager for the City of Kennedale. “The development of quality affordable National Green Building Standard-certified housing will serve as a catalyst for investment along the Parkway and in the core of the city.”
“This project is a great example of housing credits used as both an economic development tool to kick start the local economy and satisfy a dire need in the community by providing quality eco-friendly housing.” said Deepak Sulakhe, President and CEO of OM Housing.
The project was designed by HEDK Architects, and the general contractor is Spring Valley Construction, with engineers Barron-Stark Engineers and MMA. The project is expected to be completed in the January of 2022.
Presidium Berkshire breaks ground at Alliance
Presidium, a diversified real estate development, investment and management firm, has broken ground on Presidium Berkshire, a 352,000-square-foot, 340-unit luxury apartment community near the Alliance Town Center.
Presidium Berkshire is the second of three planned Presidium projects for the immediate area, which will total approximately 1,100 apartment units within the next four years. The firm’s first delivery in this area was the recently completely 408-unit Presidium Revelstoke, and the third part of this development plan will be an adjacent, yet-to-be-announced project with up to 350 multifamily units.
“North Fort Worth is experiencing explosive growth. The area has emerged as one of the largest logistics hubs in the country and also has drawn in numerous Fortune 500 companies including Charles Schwab, Facebook, Amazon, BNSF Railway, and Bell,” said John Griggs, Presidium Co-Founder and Co-CEO. “Following the success of our Presidium Revelstoke development, the neighboring community, Presidium Berkshire, will provide an excellent luxury housing option for the current and future residents of this booming submarket.”
Presidium Berkshire is expected to be complete in mid-late 2022. Presidium Berkshire will be constructed on a 12-acre site just minutes from the 26,000-acre master-planned Alliance Town Center community.
Designed by Dallas-based O’Brien Architects, each of Presidium Berkshire’s units will feature nine-foot ceilings, natural wood-inspired flooring, energy-efficient stainless-steel appliances, in-unit laundry, walk-in showers with garden style tubs, and high-class finishes.
All apartment homes will be connected through a series of air-conditioned interior corridors with elevators for maximum comfort year-round.
Presidium engaged Kimley-Horn as the civil engineering firm and Provident General Contractors as the builder.