Downtown Design Review Board Public Hearing – March 5, 2026
Downtown Design Review Board Public Hearing – March 5, 2026
The Downtown Design Review Board (DDRB) held a public hearing on March 5, 2026, at 9:45 AM. The sole agenda item was a certificate of appropriateness for a proposed three-story duplex at 740 Samuels Avenue. Staff recommended approval with encouragement for design refinements. The board unanimously approved the application, and several routine announcements were made.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of February 5, 2026, meeting minutes: The motion carried 6‑0 (Commissioners Retman, Milliken, Dunn, Blake, Burns, and Downey all voted in favor).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Applicant (Beatrice Orderica, Fort Worth resident): Described the proposed three-story duplex with two units, three bedrooms each, private parking, a shared green space, and rooftop terraces. She emphasized the family-oriented design and location choice due to commuting needs for her son’s sports activities.
- Melissa Connor (representing Downtown Fort Worth Inc. (DFWI) Design Review Committee): Expressed strong support for the project and noted that recent changes (e.g., consolidated parking, increased green space, refined window patterns) reflect DFWI’s feedback. She endorsed staff’s recommendation to continue refining the ground-floor design and material palette to strengthen the street connection.
- No opposition testimony was presented.
Discussion Items
- Staff presentation (Francisco Delvega): Detailed the property’s history, zoning (D – allowing duplexes), and the requirement for three stories facing Samuels Avenue. The project meets all standards (setbacks, parking, density, canopy coverage) and provides required sidewalk, pedestrian lighting, and street trees aligned with existing patterns. Staff recommended approval but encouraged the applicant to: (1) simplify the material palette and break up large wall surfaces, and (2) adjust the ground floor to better engage pedestrians (e.g., with awnings, plane changes).
- Board deliberation: Commissioners discussed the facade design. Some preferred a more horizontal emphasis, while others appreciated the verticality. Concerns were raised about the size of the front door (appearing too small), the use of dark colors (maintenance issues), and the longevity of stucco and cantilevering features. Commissioners agreed the project meets all guidelines and is appropriate, but noted further refinement would improve the design.
Key Outcomes
- Motion: Commissioner Milliken moved to approve the Certificate of Appropriateness, supporting staff’s recommendation for continued design refinement. Commissioner Blake seconded.
- Vote: The motion passed unanimously (6–0).
- Next steps: The applicant will continue working with staff and DFWI on material and ground-floor refinements. The next DDRB meeting is scheduled for April 2, 2026.
- Announcements: Staff reported ongoing work on the All & Gas building drawings, and the board noted the 44th Annual Downtown Fort Worth Inc. meeting will be held on April 9, 2026.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome everyone to the March 5th 2026 meeting of the downtown design review board. Public hearing. May we please have the statement of open meeting, please. Thank you. Welcome to the March 5th, 2026 Downtown Design Review Board Public Hearing. Specific rules and procedures of these hearings are found in the downtown urban design standards and guidelines, DDRB rules of procedure, and related provisions of Texas state law. The Downtown Design Review Board requires a quorum of five members to be present and four available for voting. The following board members are present today. Commissioner Milliken, Commissioner Dunn, Commissioner Blake, Commissioner Burns, and Commissioner Dabney. Staff present today are Laura Young, Brandon Uderback, Francis Delvega, and Trey Qualls. Copies of today's meeting agenda and speaker registration forms are provided at the desk near the conference room entrance. Today's public hearing is being documented by video conference recording, which will be available on the city's website. To achieve a timely and orderly meeting, the board requests that the following rules of procedure be respected. Please turn off all cell phones. Each case will be called in the sequence listed on the agenda unless otherwise directed by the chair. All ensuing dialogue shall be directed to the board only. After the staff presentation, the applicant and other proponents will be asked to speak. The opposition opposition may then speak. A completed registration form must be turned in before addressing the board to ensure that your appearance and presentation are officially recorded. Please state your name and the city in which you reside before addressing the board. Following the official close of each case hearing, the board will remain in open session to discuss and vote on the item in question. During this time, no further public testimony or commentary will be allowed unless directed by the chair. A closed executive session may be held with respect to the posted agenda items to enable the board to receive advice from legal staff. For additional information on any case on today's agenda, you may contact the development services department by calling 817-392-8000. And for record keeping, I will uh like to state that Commissioner Retman just joined us as well. Thank you so much. Laura, thank you very much. Do we have any announcements? Um, we don't have any announcements, just a quick update. Uh we're still working in the uh all and gas building. Uh they have been review revising some of their drawings, and we continue working with them and transportation development, so it says hopefully we have a final uh set of plans soon, and I would like to provide a nominated once that happens. Francisco, thank you for that update. I do have an announcement. Uh the on April the 9th is the 44th annual downtown Fort Worth Inc. annual meeting. So hopefully several of us will be in attendance for that meeting. Very important. And we thank downtown Fort Worth Inc. for everything they have done for downtown. Any other announcements? Yes. A couple of questions. Seems like my memory serves me that we typically have a summer month where we don't have a meeting. Looking at this calendar, it looks like we have a meeting every month this summer. Accurate. Yes, that's that's correct. We will have a meeting in every month. Okay. Uh that was just something we when we were looking at how uh our rules of procedure. We don't have really any month to you know have a vacation time or anything like that.
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