University of Texas at Arlington is venturing into new territory at the western outskirts of Fort Worth, near the intersection of Tarrant and Parker County, after receiving approval to establish a new campus, UTA West.
UTA West will be on 51 acres of land, featuring rolling hills and a lake, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. The university has a long-term strategy to develop the campus to accommodate over 10,000 students. The inaugural structure is projected to be unveiled in late 2028.
“We’re going to attract new businesses. The students that are coming in are going to go work for those businesses, as well as decide to engage in entrepreneurship and create their own,” UTA President Jennifer Cowley told the Forth Worth Report.
“Having higher education in your community is just a tremendous asset from an economic development perspective, but it also fosters the social and cultural development of a community,” Cowley continued.
Here is more of what FWR had to report on the economic impact of this exciting development:
The landscape of Parker County — an area known for its open pastures and ranch land — has experienced drastic change over the past decade. And with the August announcement of plans to build a new University of Texas at Arlington campus, the area is set to see more.
“It’s going to drive a lot more change, I’m sure,” said Shelby Kimball, a broker associate for Kimball Real Estate, with offices in Parker and Tarrant counties. “It’s going to spur a lot of commercial development. If you have students going to school there and they’re living nearby, they need to eat somewhere, they need to shop somewhere, they need to live somewhere. The professors and staff will need to live somewhere.”
Earlier this month, UTA announced plans to purchase 51 acres of land in the Walsh development near Aledo, where Interstates 20 and 30 merge west of Interstate 820. The first building is expected to be complete in fall 2028. Years later, when the campus is built out, UTA officials anticipate serving more than 10,000 students.
“We’re going to attract new businesses. The students that are coming in are going to go work for those businesses, as well as decide to engage in entrepreneurship and create their own,” UTA President Jennifer Cowley told the Report. “Having higher education in your community is just a tremendous asset from an economic development perspective, but it also fosters the social and cultural development of a community.”
Over the past decade, what was once open tracts of land has seen a lot more development. A housing boom has hit the region, with projects like Walsh and Morningstar building suburban housing developments. Retail development has followed, including the 2019 opening of an H-E-B grocery store in Hudson Oaks, 10 miles west of Aledo. The Tex-Mex restaurant chain Chuy’s is set to open soon. And early in 2025, a Costco Wholesale store will open its doors in Weatherford.
Due to high mortgage rates, Kimball said, housing inventory in Parker County is the highest it has been in a decade. With headlines trumpeting the arrival of a new campus and lower mortgage rates, he foresees housing developments kicking into higher gear.
Parker County is one of the nation’s fastest growing counties, in terms of percentage population increase from 2021 to 2022. With that growth comes growing pains. News of a 51-acre college campus west of Fort Worth brought both excitement and concern to the forefront of residents’ minds.