Owners along West Magnolia Avenue are already making plans for a city water and sewer project that has not yet gone out to bid, with some expecting a hit to sales once crews start digging under one of the Near Southside's busiest restaurant streets.
The Fort Worth Report spoke with several business owners on the corridor for a story published Sunday. The work will replace old cast iron water lines and sewer mains under Magnolia and six other Near Southside streets, and the Report says bidding is expected to begin in November, with construction starting in the spring and running in phases until spring 2029.
The newspaper notes the schedule could change depending on the contractor the city hires.
The city's project page lists the Magnolia Avenue and Fairmount Area Cast Iron Water and Sewer project, number 105105, as still in design, with no completion date posted. Clayton Torrance is listed as project manager.
How businesses are preparing
Mary Perez, who opened Enchiladas Olé at 1208 W. Magnolia Ave. last December, told the Report she plans a to-go counter, in-house deliveries instead of a delivery app, and outreach to the area's five nearby hospitals. She said she is also weighing dropping her liquor license so customers can bring their own drinks. "We're going to do deliveries ourselves," she said.
Chris Curtis, a co-owner of Neighborhood Wine at 1257 W. Magnolia, said his wine-tasting spot saw a slight dip over two months when infrastructure work was done near Lake Street. "We're very concerned about it," he said, adding that he plans to update customers on the construction through his newsletter.
