West 7th district could see another 67 multifamily housing units near Target

Prime property now on the market in Fort Worth’s Cultural District could be developed with up to 67 multifamily housing units near Carroll Street, a block or two from Target.

Eleven parcels totaling about 1.8 acres are along Weisenberger and Wingate streets, on either side of Foch Street, in the small Linwood neighborhood. The area is part of the fast-growing entertainment district off West Seventh Street.

Early last year, plans for an 80-unit affordable housing complex in this neighborhood were squashed after the City Council denied a zoning change amid residents’ concerns over the project’s density. The 80-unit complex aimed at working class renters would have been on the northwest corner of Carroll Street and Azalea Avenue, across from Montgomery Plaza.

The zoning decision cleared the way for more development of 17 townhouses on four of the vacant lots.

More recently, a proposed 595-unit apartment complex that would replace several retail stores in Montgomery Plaza sparked strong opposition from the homeowners association in the historic Montgomery Ward building. The project has become a flash point in debate over how much development of the West Seventh corridor is too much, particularly with traffic.

City leaders may revisit the Montgomery Plaza proposal in December.

The 11 parcels in Linwood offered for sale along Weisenberger and Wingate streets are described as a “tremendous multi-family development opportunity in one of the most sought-after neighborhoods in Fort Worth,” on the listing by Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty of Dallas. The zoning allows for development of 40 units per acre, and the parcels are approved for 67 multi-family units.

Homes, businesses and warehouses in Linwood and along West Seventh were heavily damaged by the 2000 tornado but have seen a boom in residential and retail redevelopment in recent years. The neighborhood is bound by White Settlement Road to the north, West Seventh Street to the south, Carroll Street to the east and University Drive to the east.

Information from the Star-Telegram archives was used in this story.