Fort Worth Business Press
Aleshia Claunch - July 18, 2005

Fort Worth Uptown plan presented to hundreds

FORT WORTH -- Fort Worth Uptown visionary Tom Struhs awed the crowd at the Downtown Fort Worth Inc. luncheon July 12 as he unfolded updated plans for residential developments along the city’s Trinity River.

Struhs, a Fort Worth developer, displayed graphics of projects that have begun and introduced the conceptual plans for a new project.

“Uptown has been a project that has blown our minds from the start,” Struhs said. “The only changes that have come up in the plans for the development are that things are moving faster than we anticipated.”

The area referred to as Fort Worth’s Uptown is a 30-acre plot of land along the Trinity River. On the northeast part of Uptown is an area called Trinity Bluff, which is planned to be an elaborate urban community.

Development company Trinity Bluff Ltd. is spearheaded by Fort Worth developers Struhs, Elizabeth Falconer and Rudy Renda. Dallas-based Lincoln Properties is partnering with Struhs on many of the residential developments.

The new project Struhs introduced at the luncheon, not yet named, will be constructed on 1.7 acres of land on the banks of the Trinity River. The project calls for a 20-story condominium building, flanked by town homes. Struhs said plans for the residential development call for 274 units. No price has been set for the units at this time.

“This project is truly one of our best sites within the Uptown project,” Struhs said. “This one will really set the tone for the rest of the development. I can’t wait to see this one begin.”

Struhs said the importance of the Uptown area centers on its ability to tie downtown and the Trinity River together, acting as one economic and entertainment venue.

“To be in Uptown is to be in downtown,” Struhs said.

When the projects on the Trinity Bluff are complete, Struhs said there will be 2,200 residential units between downtown Fort Worth and the Trinity River.

The Samuels Avenue neighborhood, which is where much of the residential development will be, dates back to the 1800s and was once inhabited by Fort Worth’s founding business and community leaders. Struhs said many people are still unaware of the importance of the area, but he hopes that will change as development progresses.

“This is where the city was born,” Struhs said. “There are all sorts of stories you can read about the first settlers who lived along the banks of the river. I have read most of them and I think it is only a matter of time before people start to see what I see out there – an area of land that helped to create the city we love today.”