The Fort Worth City Council, in its June 6 meeting, finally put to rest a debate concerning additional parking space for the owner of some property on Camp Bowie Boulevard.
The council voted 6-3 to deny rezoning of a property at 5001 Camp Bowie Blvd., owned by V Fine Homes, from F (general commercial) to MU-1 (low intensity mixed use). With the change would have come additional street parking. That has upset some residents in the area.
Council members Brian Byrd (D3), Cary Moon (D4) and Ann Zadeh (D9) voted for the rezoning, with council members Betsy Price (Mayor), Sal Espino (D2), Gyna Bivens (D5), Jungus Jordan (D6), Dennis Shingleton (D7), Kelly Allen Gray (D8) voting against.
“If this project were on any other piece of property anywhere else in the city, other than the small piece of property it’s on, it would be welcomed, there’s no doubt about it,” said District 7 Councilman Dennis Shingleton. “I have had some thoughts about this for nigh onto a year and the safety issues of backing onto Camp Bowie bother me.”
Rob Sell of V Fine said when he purchased the property he was given permission by City of Fort Worth Transportation and Public Works that he could count on-street spaces.
The subject property is a vacant lot in an established neighborhood. The prior building on it, a Gas N Go filling station, was demolished. V Fine’s plans included the construction of a two-story flatiron building with approximately 6,500 square feet of office and retail space (one floor with 2,500 square feet of retail space, and a second floor with 4,000 square feet of office space).
Sell and associate Mark Phillips of V Fine argued the area has almost twice as many parking spaces than the required 15 minimum under MU zoning. However, this includes on-street parking.
None of the existing buildings or zoning in the area are MU and with the current F zoning, all of the parking must be within the private property and not on the street. City officials had also previously noted that the size and triangular configuration of the property also creates a challenge for the required amount of parking under the proposed zoning.
The Arlington Heights Neighborhood Association has led the argument that on-street parking should not be allowed to count toward a building’s required minimum.
“This has been a heck of a rodeo, that’s for sure,” said Brenda Helmer, president of the Arlington Heights Neighborhood Association.
Helmer brought with her a petition that she said includes 142 new signatures to add to previous arguments against the additional parking. Of the 17 speakers before the council Tuesday, nine were opposed and eight were in favor, including Sell and Phillips. Among those opposed, Helmer and some other other neighborhood association leaders spoke on behalf of groups who were also in attendance.
Helmer suggested that instead a public/private partnership be created for a park such as others in the area.
The land immediately surrounding is institutional to the north across Camp Bowie, multifamily to the east, and commercial to the south and west. The proposed site will have access on Camp Bowie, which is a commercial connector, and have on-street parking along Camp Bowie, El Campo, and Penticost.
District 2 Councilman Sal Espino, while supporting Shingleton and agreeing that he was also concerned about the parking, said citizens have to get used to mixed use zoning in the city.
“Overall, I’m troubled by the aversion in our city by some folks to mixed use zoning,” he said.
“I’m glad to see us neighborhoods are supporting each other when called upon,” said Gail Davis, president of the Crestwood Neighborhood Association.