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Record of Proceedings

Fort Worth Urban Design Commission Meeting – September 17, 2026

City Council — Thursday, September 17, 2026
BodyFort Worth, Texas
SessionCity Council
DateThursday, September 17, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:35:30

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:11

Relatively large site.

0:12

You see here we have two overlapping easements that basically run north-south through the property.

0:18

One of them is an 80-foot utility easement on the right here, and then a 25-foot sanitary sewer easement on the left.

0:25

They overlap a bit.

0:27

It's about 86 feet, cutting straight through the property of easement that they can't develop in.

0:33

And for urban forestry, that area is considered exempt.

0:38

So they're proposing to remove both of these trees, which would leave them preservation of zero percent.

0:44

This is their proposed planting plan.

0:47

It's multifamily development, several exist or several proposed buildings, detention area down here, and then obviously all of the associated parking.

0:59

These numbers are all of their plantings.

1:02

It includes 23 proposed cedar elms.

1:05

This plan shows these proposed cedar elms along the frontage for 820.

1:08

I spoke with the applicant earlier today.

1:10

Text dot nixed those.

1:12

So they weren't included in the urban forestry numbers anyways.

1:15

They were just shown on the plan here, and they were included in the staff report.

1:19

As mentioned, they were being planted.

1:20

Text dot shut that down.

1:22

So those 23 trees are no longer going to be happening, but it doesn't affect any of our numbers.

1:32

So like I said, the gross site area is 695,609 square feet.

1:38

For multifamily developments, the urban forestry requirement isn't based on the area of the property.

1:43

It's based on the provided open space.

1:46

So the provided open space for the site minus deductible areas, which is basically just that 86-foot easement, is 201,752 square feet.

1:58

The existing tree canopy between those two trees, 308 square feet.

2:03

So of the net urban forestry area, 0.15%, almost nothing.

2:09

The required preservation would be 77 square feet, which is the 25%.

2:22

They're proposing no preservation, and they're proposing to provide 315,400 in square feet, which is just over three times their requirement.

2:33

And then the parking lot canopy requirement.

2:36

So the area of parking that they provided is 236,687 square feet of parking.

2:45

The canopy requirement for that would be 94,675, and they're proposing 164,425, which exceeds by just over or almost 70,000 square feet.

3:04

So based on the existing conditions, um, the difficulty that the easement, because both of the existing trees are located in the northeast.

3:16

So with that easement and preserving one of those trees could make developing that northeast portion difficult.

3:22

And the fact that the only two existing trees are both seven-inch trees.

3:27

Staff supports this waiver, and we recommend approving the request to reduce the preservation requirement from 25% down to zero.

3:38

And I'm available if you guys have any questions.

3:41

Thank you.

3:42

Any questions?

3:45

I'm curious.

3:45

Did Textot give a reason why they nixed those trees?

3:50

I'll let the applicant answer that.

3:51

Okay.

3:52

Just curious.

3:57

Are the cedar elms because they're in the easement?

4:00

Not required to be included.

4:03

Is that the reason, or we're not sure?

4:06

So for urban forestry, these the 23 pseudomes that they were showing, they're considered off-site.

4:12

So they were shown on their plan.

4:14

They weren't included in their urban forestry calculations.

4:17

So the numbers I went through, those are still the correct numbers.

4:20

They had already omitted those.

4:22

The applicant was just electing to preserve them.

4:24

I believe for some enhanced landscaping credit, and Textdot shut that down.

4:36

Is the applicant here to speak?

4:39

Yes.

4:40

Garrett Blackwell is here to speak on behalf of the applicant.

4:42

If you guys have any questions.

4:46

If he's got a reason from Textdot, I'm just curious.

4:51

Yeah, you get me.

4:52

Doesn't impact my opinion.

4:53

I just curious.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Land Use Planning█████████████████████████████████33%
Zoning██████████████████18%
Building Code█████████████13%
Procedural███████████11%
Urban Design██████████10%
Transportation████4%
Affordable Housing████4%
Community Engagement████4%
Urban Forestry███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Fort Worth Urban Design Commission Meeting – September 17, 2026

The Urban Design Commission (UDC) met on September 17, 2026, to consider three development cases and discuss work session items. The meeting began at 9:45 AM and included public testimony, staff presentations, and commission votes. All three cases were approved unanimously (9-0). The work session covered updates to the Panther Island and Camp Bowie form-based codes and proposed changes to the commission's rules of procedure.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Case 2 (5812 Eastland Street): The applicant, Reza Safe, spoke in favor of the pedestrian lighting waiver, explaining that the site conditions (ditch, narrow right-of-way) made a pedestrian light infeasible and that other nearby duplexes had not installed such lights. No opposition was heard.
  • Case 3 (5506 Level Avenue): Multiple community members from the Lake Como neighborhood spoke in favor of the project. Sandra Stanley (NAC president) noted the developer's commitment to affordable housing and community engagement. Wanda Bohannon and Shavina Miss Peacock Taylor also expressed support, emphasizing the design's compatibility with the residential character.

Discussion Items

  • Case 1 – Tree Preservation Waiver (Multifamily Development): Staff presented a request to reduce the tree preservation requirement from 25% to 0% for a multifamily development, citing overlapping easements (80-foot utility and 25-foot sanitary sewer) that cut through the property, and two small trees (7-inch diameter) located in the easement. The required preservation was only 77 sq ft (0.15% of net urban forestry area). The applicant planned to exceed canopy requirements through new plantings. Staff supported the waiver. The commission asked about 23 cedar elms originally shown along IH-820 frontage, which TxDOT had prohibited. The applicant confirmed TxDOT did not want trees in their right-of-way. The waiver was approved 9-0.
  • Case 2 – Pedestrian Lighting Waiver (Duplex, 5812 Eastland Street): The applicant requested a waiver from the UR district requirement for a pedestrian-scale light. Staff recommended a continuance because other outstanding design issues (facade variation, fencing, urban forestry calculations) were unresolved. The commission, however, focused solely on the lighting waiver. After discussion, they determined the agenda item was only about the lighting, and that future waivers could be addressed later. The waiver was approved 9-0. The commission directed the applicant to continue working with staff on remaining standards.
  • Case 3 – Floor-to-Floor Height Waiver (Townhomes, 5506 Level Avenue): The applicant sought a waiver from the 15-foot first-floor floor-to-floor height requirement (Camp Bowie transition district) to 10 feet 8 inches. Staff recommended approval, noting the residential use, compatibility with surrounding single-family homes, and the fact that the 15-foot standard was intended for commercial-ready spaces. The applicant argued that a 15-foot height would increase staircase length and force the building beyond lot frontage limits. Community members supported the project, citing the developer's affordability commitments and neighborhood engagement. The waiver was approved 9-0, subject to final compliance with other Camp Bowie standards.

Key Outcomes

  • Case 1: Motion passed 9-0 to grant a waiver reducing the tree preservation requirement from 25% to 0%.
  • Case 2: Motion passed 9-0 to approve the pedestrian lighting waiver for UDC 2026-137 at 5812 Eastland Street.
  • Case 3: Motion passed 9-0 to approve the first-floor floor-to-floor height waiver for UDC 2026-205 at 5506 Level Avenue, subject to resubmission for final review.
  • Work Session – Panther Island Form-Based Code Update: Staff provided a status update on the code update, which consolidates nine subdistricts into two (Core and Edge) and updates waterfront standards. The update is scheduled for city council adoption on October 13, 2026.
  • Work Session – Camp Bowie Form-Based Code Update: Staff presented proposed changes focusing on non-conforming standards, use table removal, signage updates, and supplemental standards. The UDC will vote on the update on October 22, 2026, followed by zoning commission and city council in November/December.
  • Work Session – Rules of Procedure: Staff previewed annual updates to the commission's rules, including terminology changes (urban design officer to executive secretary), filing deadline clarifications, and withdrawal language. Adoption is on the October 22, 2026, agenda.

Meeting Transcript

Relatively large site. You see here we have two overlapping easements that basically run north-south through the property. One of them is an 80-foot utility easement on the right here, and then a 25-foot sanitary sewer easement on the left. They overlap a bit. It's about 86 feet, cutting straight through the property of easement that they can't develop in. And for urban forestry, that area is considered exempt. So they're proposing to remove both of these trees, which would leave them preservation of zero percent. This is their proposed planting plan. It's multifamily development, several exist or several proposed buildings, detention area down here, and then obviously all of the associated parking. These numbers are all of their plantings. It includes 23 proposed cedar elms. This plan shows these proposed cedar elms along the frontage for 820. I spoke with the applicant earlier today. Text dot nixed those. So they weren't included in the urban forestry numbers anyways. They were just shown on the plan here, and they were included in the staff report. As mentioned, they were being planted. Text dot shut that down. So those 23 trees are no longer going to be happening, but it doesn't affect any of our numbers. So like I said, the gross site area is 695,609 square feet. For multifamily developments, the urban forestry requirement isn't based on the area of the property. It's based on the provided open space. So the provided open space for the site minus deductible areas, which is basically just that 86-foot easement, is 201,752 square feet. The existing tree canopy between those two trees, 308 square feet. So of the net urban forestry area, 0.15%, almost nothing. The required preservation would be 77 square feet, which is the 25%. They're proposing no preservation, and they're proposing to provide 315,400 in square feet, which is just over three times their requirement. And then the parking lot canopy requirement. So the area of parking that they provided is 236,687 square feet of parking. The canopy requirement for that would be 94,675, and they're proposing 164,425, which exceeds by just over or almost 70,000 square feet. So based on the existing conditions, um, the difficulty that the easement, because both of the existing trees are located in the northeast. So with that easement and preserving one of those trees could make developing that northeast portion difficult. And the fact that the only two existing trees are both seven-inch trees. Staff supports this waiver, and we recommend approving the request to reduce the preservation requirement from 25% down to zero. And I'm available if you guys have any questions. Thank you. Any questions? I'm curious. Did Textot give a reason why they nixed those trees? I'll let the applicant answer that. Okay. Just curious. Are the cedar elms because they're in the easement? Not required to be included. Is that the reason, or we're not sure? So for urban forestry, these the 23 pseudomes that they were showing, they're considered off-site. So they were shown on their plan. They weren't included in their urban forestry calculations. So the numbers I went through, those are still the correct numbers. They had already omitted those.

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