Camp Bowie PID approved with boundary changes
Meet the new Historic Camp Bowie.
The Fort Worth City Council at its Aug. 14 meeting approved a new Public Improvement District (PID) plan for the area, again making some alterations to the boundaries.
This is the second change to the area in less than a year.
The new PID includes about 239 acres generally consisting of all commercial properties along Camp Bowie Boulevard from Montgomery Street on the east to Irene Street on the west, and along West Seventh Street from University Drive to Montgomery.
The current Camp Bowie PID stretches from University westward to Irene and is set to expire in early January. Petitioners wanted to establish a new PID with adjustments to the boundaries based on property owners’s requests.
The district previously extended to Loop 820, but part of the area was removed several months ago at the request of those property owners.
The new PID, which will be in place for the next decade, pending any adjustments, will continue to include the portion of West Seventh from University west, stopping at the residential area. It will also include some of the side streets such as Byers and Bryce that have businesses in those areas.
“They want certain things that will enhance their businesses on Camp Bowie,” said Councilman Dennis Shingleton, in whose District 7 part of the property lies.
The property also lies partly in District 3, whose councilman is Brian Byrd.
Portions of the two PIDs will overlap until the expiration of the current PID. Property owners will not be assessed for the new PID in the meantime, though they will operate off its assessment values, with reimbursements from the city until official assessments are received from Tarrant County, Camp Bowie District President Wade Chappell explained.
The PID budget is based on projected assessments by the Tarrant Appraisal District. Then, the managers of the PID identify a budget according to their contract with the city to spend those dollars toward the improvements of the district.
Assessments will begin on Oct. 1.
“Our initiatives are focused on clean, green, safety and advocacy,” Chappell said.
The current PID has a fund balance of about $197,800, which is from prior assessments from property that is east of Irene Street and within the boundaries of the new PID. To ensure that the prior assessments continue to benefit those properties, the full remaining fund balance is expected to be transferred to the new PID to be used for improvements and/or services.
The goal of the Historic Camp Bowie PID is to ensure that the Camp Bowie Boulevard corridor will continue to be economically successful by providing commercial services, neighborhood shopping and neighborhood services. The proposed improvements and services include landscaping, promotional signs and banners, capital improvements, communication programs, cooperative programs, litter abatement programs, and special supplemental services.
The estimated cost of the proposed improvements and services in the Historic Camp Bowie PID for fiscal year 2019 (beginning Oct. 1) is about $605,000. The entire cost of each improvement and service will be paid from property assessments and no city funds will be used unless the council approves on a case-by-case basis.