Westworth Village council holds its hearing Tuesday night on Trinity Terrace's senior campus at the former Kite Farms

Westworth Village's City Council holds a public hearing Tuesday night on rezoning the old Kite Farms land on White Settlement Road for a senior living campus planned by Trinity Terrace, the nonprofit that runs senior towers in downtown Fort Worth.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the council chambers, 311 Burton Hill Road, according to the posted agenda. The council will hear public comment on the Planning and Zoning Commission's recommendation and then consider action on the zoning change, a site plan, a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes deal and a separate agreement covering emergency services.

What is proposed

The request, filed under Trinity Terrace's corporate name, The Cumberland Rest, Inc., would move the land from single-family residential zoning to a planned development for a senior continuing care community.

The agenda describes a campus for residents 62 and older with 236 independent living apartments and 40 villas, plus units for assisted living and memory care, a clubhouse, a medical and memory care center and a restaurant open to the public. The parcels run from 5700 to 5708 White Settlement Road.

The Fort Worth Report, which covered last week's zoning hearing, put the site at 27 acres and reported that Trinity Terrace estimates construction at $350 million, while Mayor Kelly Jones said the nonprofit's estimates run as high as $450 million.

The recommendation reaching the council carries conditions. The owner would have to install a four-way traffic signal at Burton Hill Road and White Settlement Road with crosswalks and pedestrian push buttons, and the driveway nearest the river could only be used to enter. The project would have to clear the city engineer's reviews, floodplain map revisions, state environmental review and fire and building codes.

The tax and emergency services agreements would have to be signed and recorded with Tarrant County before the city issues building permits, and city staff would seek an outside legal opinion on whether the ordinance and agreements can be enforced.

Taxes and the vote so far

Planning commissioners voted 6-1 last week to recommend the rezoning and unanimously backed an independent review of the site plans, the Report said. Because Trinity Terrace is a tax-exempt nonprofit, it could ask to be excused from property taxes if it does enough charity work at the campus.

Jones told the Report the organization has indicated it does not intend to, and that the negotiated agreement would guarantee the city an equivalent payment if that changes. The city said the Tarrant Appraisal District estimates the finished campus could generate roughly $1.2 million to $1.7 million annually in property taxes.

Brian Young, Trinity Terrace's executive director, told commissioners that the downtown towers are full and have long waiting lists, according to the Report.

Opposition

Neighbors have fought development of the property before. In 2023 the planning commission recommended denying an earlier Trinity Terrace plan, and the nonprofit withdrew it. More than 300 residents signed a petition against the current proposal, the Report said, citing the volunteer group Westworth is Watching.

Speakers at last week's hearing questioned what would happen if the campus ever closed, how it would affect property values, whether the buildings fit the neighborhood, and how traffic and storm drainage would be handled. Some called the process pay-to-play.

Jones said at that hearing that opponents object to any development on the land and that the new zoning fits the surrounding area better than what is allowed now, the Report said.

Sources

cityofwestworth.com

fortworthreport.org