Three small downtown parks are next in line for attention, as Downtown Fort Worth Inc. and the city parks department begin planning improvements for Lanham Plaza, John Peter Smith Park and Hyde Park.
The nonprofit, which already manages Burnett Park and General Worth Square, plans to bring the three parks under the same management approach so it can raise the level of upkeep and add amenities, Matt Beard, who directs the group's public improvement districts, said in an interview with the Fort Worth Report.
The two partners announced the effort in a Nov. 3 release that pointed to heavier park use from a growing downtown population. Big projects nearby, including the Fort Worth Convention Center expansion, the Texas A&M School of Law and new housing, are adding to that traffic, the release said.
What people asked for
Downtown Fort Worth Inc. held a public meeting Monday to collect ideas. Staff are still sorting through the responses, but Beard told the Report the most common requests were more lighting, park furniture, additional trash receptacles and a consistent approach to landscaping and plantings.
Elizabeth Beck, the City Council member who represents downtown, said in the early-November announcement that residents own these spaces and that the people who use them should have a say in what changes.
