For years, South Main was an urban village mostly by name only.
But a series of new residential, commercial and mixed-use developments slated to start or be completed in the next few years could change the face of the hip neighborhood, said Mike Brennan, president of Near Southside Inc., the organization that helps oversee redevelopment of that area.
Whether it’s new construction or adaptive reuse of historic buildings, the South Main village could welcome more than 1,000 new residents once the work is done, Brennan said.
“It had the ingredients (for an urban village), but those ingredients were few in number,” Brennan said. “Things are playing out as envisioned.”
What South Main projects are in the pipeline? Here’s what we know so far:
T&P transit-oriented development
The current parking lot of the T&P Station on Vickery Boulevard will soon be transformed into a mixed-use development with residential, commercial and public spaces.
Proposals show two buildings on the site. One will be primarily residential, with some commercial space on the ground floor. The other building is supposed to be office space. The project also will improve the appearance of the street along Vickery, as well as a plaza connection leading to the entrance of the train station.
Parking for riders will be integrated into the buildings.
The idea resembles the transit-oriented development seen at the Grapevine Station and the future Trinity Lakes Station, Brennan said.
On Jan. 16, Trinity Metro’s board of directors entered into a purchase and sale contract with Seco Ventures for development of the property at 200 W. Vickery Blvd.
Discussion for this project has been ongoing since at least December 2022, when the Southside Tax Increment Financing District approved a tax agreement equal to $2.5 million to support the $75 million development.
New housing
Three new multifamily projects are in the works in the South Main village.
Willow & Wise at 218 W. Broadway Ave. is on track to be completed this spring and is already grabbing attention with a kinetic screen on one of the parking garage facades. Its developer, Maverick Development Group, is also behind apartments like Ramble & Rose and Mag & May.
The kinetic screen is in response to development codes and standards for the Near Southside that discourage the construction of garages fronting public streets.
Although the garage is not actually on South Main Street — it’s on Houston Street — it’s very visible from South Main, Brennan said.
“If you try to locate your garage along a public street, then there’s discussion … and there needs to be some special efforts made to make that garage a good neighbor to its surroundings,” Brennan said.
At 451 Bryan Ave., a project currently under construction called Bryan Flats will bring about 94 multifamily units to a 10,000-square-foot lot. These units will be smaller, more efficient and partially furnished compared to traditional apartments.
“The idea is that in certain urban environments, you have a population … folks who don’t want to spend a whole lot of money on housing and enjoy being in an environment where there are a lot of things to do, places to go,” Brennan said.
Part of this project is the lack of on-site parking. Brennan said they are working with the city’s transportation and public works department to create a two-hour limit parking at nearby businesses, so residents don’t take parking spaces from patrons.
A third project — Skyview at Crawford — is also in the works. The luxury boutique apartment complex, which is at 4000 Crawford Drive, has 47 units.
Both Bryan Flats and Skyview are slated to be completed by the end of 2024.
Adaptive reuse projects
Two properties owned by local developer Tom Reynolds could soon get a second chance with a new purpose.
The former Safeway building at 104 S. Main St. will eventually be home to new tenants that have yet to be announced.
Reynolds is also considering renovating a second property — the former city gym and recreation center on West Vickery Boulevard — into a performance venue.
No permits have been filed for either property.
The Fort Worth Report did not hear back from Reynolds before publication.
Other projects
A former warehouse turned commercial building at 314 S. Main St. is now open to welcome visitors to its three tenants: Buena Vida Tacos, The Coupe and Atlas.
The project was led by CHC Development, a Fort Worth-based firm.
Work on The Nobleman Hotel, which will be housed in the former Fire Station No. 5, also continues. The 150-room hotel, now under construction, is expected to be finished in 2025.
The redesign of the South Main Gateway, the road underpass that connects South Main to downtown is in the final design phase, Brennan said.
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Sandra Sadek is a Report for America corps member, covering growth for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at sandra.sadek@fortworthreport.org or @ssadek19.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.