Tarleton State University is gearing up to turn its 80-acre Chisholm Trail site in southwest Fort Worth into a full-fledged, walkable campus town, complete with new academic buildings, on-campus housing and a slate of student-focused amenities. The buildout is designed to roll out in phases, deepening student life and expanding academic offerings as the fast-growing Chisholm Trail corridor fills in around it.
What the master plan proposes
The updated master plan maps out multiple phases of construction that would bring new academic buildings, a centralized student center with dining and performing-arts space, residence halls tied to mixed-use parking and landscaped green space, recreation fields, and a combined welcome and alumni center. “Our updated Fort Worth Master Plan represents a bold and strategic vision for our future,” Tarleton President James Hurley said at the unveiling. The university also released renderings and a project outline that highlight walkability and sustainable design, according to Tarleton State News.
Scale, timeline and enrollment targets
Local coverage reports that the site could ultimately grow into roughly a 17-building campus, with long-term enrollment targets jumping from the current low thousands to about 5,123 students by 2030 and roughly 16,001 by 2044, as reported by the Fort Worth Report. The plan is synced with city infrastructure work: a new overpass off Chisholm Trail Parkway, now renamed Tarleton State Parkway by the city, is slated to break ground in 2026 and open around 2028, according to city records. The ordinance and project listing are included in the City of Fort Worth records.
Transit and connectivity
Tarleton and regional transit officials say getting people to and from the Chisholm Trail campus efficiently is a top priority, and Trinity Metro has stepped in as a key partner in that conversation. With Trinity Metro’s involvement and existing regional rail options, planners have a framework to plug the new campus into the wider transit network. The university is exploring shuttle service and other first- and last-mile options to move students from nearby transit stops onto campus, according to reporting from the Fort Worth Business Press.
Downtown presence and partnerships
While Chisholm Trail grows, Tarleton is also planting a flag downtown. The university plans to occupy space in the new Texas A&M-Fort Worth Law & Education Building when that project opens this fall, which will let Tarleton offer upper-level and health-science coursework in the city’s urban core. The downtown campus is the Texas A&M System’s first urban research site, according to The Dallas Morning News, and the Law & Education Building is scheduled to open in fall 2026, per the Texas A&M-Fort Worth project page.
What it could mean for Fort Worth
City officials and business leaders are cheering the master plan as a way to grow homegrown talent pipelines and spark broader economic activity tied to health care, education and tech. At the same time, campus and city planners are clear that there are tradeoffs to navigate. Access via the Chisholm Trail tollway can tack on costs for students, and the amount of housing and parking envisioned in the plan will demand tight coordination with city leaders and private partners, the Fort Worth Report notes.
Next steps
Tarleton says the buildout will unfold in phases, with more detailed design, financing and partnership decisions coming through public review and negotiations over time. For a deeper dive into the full timeline, renderings and project details, the complete master plan and visuals are available on the university’s Fort Worth site, according to Tarleton State Fort Worth.
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