Fort Worth Urban Design Commission Meeting - April 16, 2026
Fort Worth Urban Design Commission Meeting - April 16, 2026
The Urban Design Commission (UDC) convened on Thursday, April 16, 2026, at 9:30 AM. All nine commissioners were present: Vice Chair Benner, Commissioners Carr, DeBose, Halliday, Harrier, Ramsey, Reed, Sanchez, and West. Staff included Anna Alvarez, Jefferson Prado Ortiz, Laura Young, Jacqueline Ingram, Brendan Utterback, Enrique Alvarez, Inca Rever, Chris Austria, and Joseph Laws. The meeting covered elections, announcements, approval of minutes, and 10 cases, including zoning recommendations, signage, and design waivers.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes: The minutes from the March 19, 2026, UDC meeting were approved unanimously (9-0).
- Administrative Withdrawal: Case UDC 2026-040 (previously at the bottom of the agenda) was withdrawn administratively because revised plans eliminated the need for a waiver.
Public Comments & Testimony
- UDC 2026-045 (Camp Bowie signage): Tara Chisholm, co-owner of Sloan Beauty Bar, spoke in favor of the requested waivers, noting the tenant space lacks street frontage and that the awning sign was critical for visibility. Seven letters of support were submitted; one letter opposed the waivers (from CNIC Fort Worth).
- UDC 2026-021 (Barry Stall Cup QSRs): No public testimony was offered in favor or opposition.
- UDC 2026-042 (Lake Arlington warehouse): Brandon Bajanick (owner) and Front Clark (architect) spoke in favor of the waivers, citing the building's poor condition and the difficulty of meeting mixed-use standards on a highway frontage.
Discussion Items
- Election of Chair and Vice Chair: Following the resignation of former Chair Harper, Commissioner Benner was elected Chair (9-0), and Commissioner Ramsey was elected Vice Chair (9-0).
- Staff Announcement: Planner Ana Alvarez is transitioning to the Economic Development Department after four years of service.
- Case UDC 2026-087: Amendment to an urban forestry permit for a Northwest ISD school campus (11600 North Freeway). The applicant sought to change the tree canopy coverage requirement from square feet to a percentage of NUFA (30.6%). Staff recommended approval, noting that the revised NUFA resulted in 30.8% coverage. The commission approved unanimously (9-0).
- Case UDC 2026-089 (40-foot fireplace chimney): Certificate of appropriateness for a 40-foot-tall freestanding fireplace chimney in the MU-2 district (West Bend area). Staff recommended approval, citing alignment with the district's intent to encourage exceptional design and public-realm engagement. Approved unanimously (9-0).
- Case UDC 2026-022 (Stockyards temporary parking lot): Request for a transitional parking lot (377 spaces) with three waivers (parking room size, tree canopy, perimeter planting). The site is split-zoned (historic core and transition) and will serve as interim use while a hotel is planned. Staff recommended approval; the applicant confirmed on-site security and management. Approved unanimously (9-0).
- Case UDC 2026-080 (Right-of-way vacation): Request to vacate 1,400 square feet of right-of-way at Curry and Weisenberger Streets to align property lines for future townhome development. Staff recommended approval. Approved unanimously (9-0).
- Case UDC 2026-053 (Pennsylvania Avenue signage): Two waivers: (1) allow aluminum background and sign depth less than 6 inches; (2) allow wall signs on east and west elevations without public entrances. Staff recommended denial of both. After discussion, the commission approved the first waiver with a condition of 1.5-inch minimum depth (9-0) and denied the second waiver (9-0).
- Case UDC 2026-088 (Lipscomb monument signs): Request for two monument signs at a historic fire station community center, including electronic changeable copy. Staff recommended approval of the monument signs but denial of the electronic changeable copy. After public comment from Near Southside (supportive of both), the commission voted to approve the monument signs and deny the recommendation to the Board of Adjustment for electronic copy (6-3).
- Case UDC 2026-050 (Circle Park adaptive reuse): Request to rezone from CF to PDUR for a senior affordable housing development (adaptive reuse of a former church). Three waivers sought: zero-foot rear setback, 93 parking spaces (vs. 117 required), and shared street-level entries. Staff recommended approval. The applicant presented plans and noted community support. Approved unanimously (9-0).
- Case UDC 2026-045 (Camp Bowie signage): Two waivers for an attached wall sign on a tenant space without street frontage (calculated at 32.25 sq. ft.). Staff recommended denial, citing concerns about visual clutter and the need for a comprehensive sign plan. The applicant argued that the sign was essential for business visibility and that no alternative pylon signage was available. The commission approved both waivers (8-0).
- Case UDC 2026-021 (East Loop 820 QSRs): Request to rezone from MU1 to PDMU1 for three quick-service restaurants (including McDonald's) with eight development waivers. Staff recommended denial, noting inconsistency with the mixed-use intent and the urban village plan. The applicant highlighted constraints from TxDOT and floodplain issues. The motion to approve failed (3-5), resulting in a recommendation to deny.
- Case UDC 2026-042 (East Loop 820 warehouse): Certificate of appropriateness for a warehouse rehabilitation with four waivers (fenestration <40%, street trees, pedestrian lights, canopy coverage 0%). Staff recommended denial, citing the property's rezoning to MU2 and the expectation of mixed-use development. The applicant noted the building's deterioration and lack of TxDOT response. The commission approved the waivers (8-0).
Key Outcomes
- Chair/Vice Chair: Commissioner Benner elected Chair, Commissioner Ramsey elected Vice Chair (both 9-0).
- All 10 cases decided:
- 8 cases approved (including 7 unanimous, 1 with 8-0, 1 with 6-3).
- 1 case (Camp Bowie signage) was approved after staff recommended denial.
- 1 case (East Loop 820 QSRs) was denied, resulting in a recommendation to deny to the Zoning Commission.
- Next Steps: Several cases will proceed to the Zoning Commission, City Council, or Board of Adjustment as applicable. The next UDC meeting is scheduled for May 2026.
Meeting Transcript
All right, good morning. Welcome to the Urban Design Commission meeting for Thursday, April 16. The Urban Design Commission requires a quorum of six members to be present and available for voting. The following members are present today. Vice Chair Benner, Commissioner Carr, Commissioner DeBose, Commissioner Halliday, Commissioner Harrier, Commissioner Ramsey, Commissioner Reed, Commissioner Sanchez, and Commissioner West. Did I miss anybody? All right. Staff present today are Anna Alvarez, Jefferson Prado Ortiz, Laura Young, Jacqueline Ingram, uh Brendan Utterback, Enrique Alvarez, Inca Rever, Chris Austria, and myself, Joseph Laws. Today's meeting in DACA can be found online at www.fortworthtexas.gov. Speaker registration forms must have been turned in prior to the start of the meeting, and attendees can sign up to speak by completing the paper form or scanning the QR code outside. Today's public hearing is being documented by cable television and video conference recording, which will be will be available on the city's website. To achieve a timely and orderly meeting, the UDC requests the following rules of procedure be respected. Number one, each case will be called in the sequence listed on the agenda unless otherwise directed by the chair. Number two, all ensuing dialogue shall be directed to the UDC only. Number three, after staff presentation, the applicant and any other proponents will be given a total of seven minutes to speak. Opposition may then be given seven minutes in response and continuation beyond the speaker's allotted time will be subject to the chair's sole discretion and approval. Number four, speakers may come to the podium to my left, the commissioner's right to present, and then staff will be staying at this podium. Number five, all other meeting procedures will adhere to the UDC adopted rules of procedure to the extent practicable. Number six, the following following the official close of each uh case hearing, the UDC will remain an open session to discuss the vote upon the item in question. During this time, no further public testimony or commentary will be allowed unless directed by the chair. Number seven, a closed executive session may be held with respect to the posted agenda items to enable UDC to receive legal advice from staff. For additional information on any case on today's agenda, you may contact the Development Services Department by calling 817 392 8000. Thank you for your attention. Welcome to the Urban Design Commission meeting for April 16, 2026. Mr. Chair, will you please call this meeting to order? Welcome to the April meeting of the Urban Design Commission. All right. So the first item on the agenda is the chair vice chair elections. Um so uh for those of you who were who were here last time, you may have recalled that uh former chair Harper moved out of the city of Fort Worth. Um so uh she had to leave the UDC, so that creates a vacancy in the chair position. So uh today we're gonna uh vote on uh replacement chair, and just to kind of go over the mechanics of the way this works is anyone is able to nominate or self-nominate for the chair position. And uh then following that uh motions required and a second. The person who is uh the one uh being voted on cannot make the motion, but they the candidate requires a motion and a second, and then there's a vote. If there's multiple nominations, then there could be multiple votes. Is that correct? Just to get yes. So if there is person A nominated and then person B nominated, and that gets a motion and a second for both, then essentially we would just do um for those who wish to vote for person A, raise their hands, tally it up, and then for those who uh want uh person B raise your hand, tally that, and then whoever has the most votes that they they win. You can vote more than once because there's no rules that prohibit it. So just wanted to make sure that everyone understood that. All right. Any questions on from the commissioners on the the way that works? Kind of kind of wonky, but that's what we're gonna do. So um, do we have any nominees or self-nominees for the chair position? All right. Commissioner Ramsey nominates for for chair. Is there a motion or any other nominations? I'll nominate Vice Chair Benner. All right, so there is one second. So we have a motion from Commissioner Halliday to nominate Commissioner Benner and a second from Commissioner West.
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