Officials with the City of Fort Worth have agreed to extend the deadline for a redevelopment project known as the Evans and Rosedale Urban Village.
The Evans and Rosedale Redevelopment Project, which is going up along W. Rosedale Avenue, east of Interstate 35-W in Fort Worth, is a forthcoming mixed-use development that will include 320 multifamily residential units, 27,000 square feet of commercial space, townhomes, a food-and-beverage concept, a grocery store, and a playground.
Dallas-based Hoque Global is the master developer behind the 7.5-acre project intended to focus on economic growth, cultural preservation, and modern urban design of Fort Worth’s Historic Southside neighborhood.
Development was initially forecast to start in the second quarter of 2023, but Fort Worth development officials and stakeholders agreed to extend the deadline to allow more time for minority and women-owned subcontractors to join the project, according to Fort Worth Economic Development Director Robert Sturns.
“We want to make sure that we do this right,” Sturns said, per the Fort Worth Report. “We thought it didn’t make any sense to put this closing date in line when we added a few other things that we wanted to work through.”
The project is now expected to start sometime in early 2024, according to economic development spokesperson Andrea Duffie, who previously noted that the deadline extension is contingent on Hoque Global holding regular community meetings with the public to inform residents about any changes to the project.
Hoque Global is currently working with Fort Worth officials to craft a comprehensive outreach plan to help entice minority and woman-owned candidates to join the project.
“We’re taking a kind of fresh, innovative approach to community engagement,” said Arthur Santa-Maria, vice president at Hoque Global, per FWR. “The subcontracting piece is especially important, so we want to get it right. If it means taking a little longer, then that’s OK.”
Officials are also scheduled to meet with the Historic Southside Neighborhood Association later this Fall to discuss the project.
“It’s been pretty consistent back and forth,” said Sturns. “We’re making sure that we’re talking to them about where we’re at and answering any questions that they may have about the process,” the FWR reported.
