More details on the cost, size, academic departments and a city partnership at the planned UTA West campus were revealed in an Aug. 20 Fort Worth City Council presentation. The full build-out of the planned campus at the western edge of Fort Worth near Aledo would include up to nine buildings, and will have the capacity to serve up to 12,000 students.
With all the higher education expansion in Fort Worth, Robert Sturns, the city’s economic development director, joked the city’s tagline should change from “Where the West begins” to “Where education begins.”
“This is an investment in the future of our talent,” he said.
Earlier this month, the UT System Board of Regents approved the purchase of 51 acres of undeveloped land in the Walsh development. UTA will be responsible for infrastructure development, including constructing water and sewer lines, campus roads and installing the systems for utilities for gas, electricity and telecom, according to Sturns, who led a presentation on a proposed interlocal agreement with the city and UTA. If the agreement is approved, the city will help with infrastructure costs.
Under the proposal, the city of Fort Worth would give $2 million to UTA to help with infrastructure improvements. UTA would receive those funds no later than 90 days after the execution of the agreement.
An additional $2 million will be given to UTA upon completion of the infrastructure improvements. The money will come out of the city’s economic development fund.
City Council members are expected to consider the interlocal agreement during their Aug. 27 meeting.
What is an interlocal agreement?
An interlocal agreement allows different local governments or state agencies to enter into a contract and work together to provide services, including infrastructure development and public funds investment. Proponents say the agreement improves efficiency and allows projects to be completed faster. In the case of UTA West, both the city and the university are public entities in the state. The city has also entered agreements for the development of the Texas A&M-Fort Worth campus.
Sturns also detailed proposals for the campus, including plans to divide the site into North and South campuses. Construction for the North campus will start first. At final build-out the North campus will have up to five buildings, more than 1,500 parking spaces and an estimated cost of $800 million.
“This is a very significant investment that UTA is making in Fort Worth,” Sturns said.
A part of North campus is expected to open in fall 2028 with an expected enrollment of 1,000 students, which can increase to 5,000 by 2043.
Planned academic programs at UTA West include engineering, social work, nursing, public health, public policy and business.
Shomial Ahmad is a higher education reporter for the Fort Worth Report, in partnership with Open Campus. Contact her at shomial.ahmad@fortworthreport.org.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.