Plans for the One University development in Fort Worth remain in development as its long-anticipated tower continues to take shape. The project's sister development a few blocks away just hit a major construction milestone.
One University is one of two mixed-use developments being built by Nebraska-based Goldenrod Companies in Fort Worth, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The project is at 1001 University Drive and on the 3000 block of Morton Street and, per past Star-Telegram reporting, is expected to include a 10-story portion with apartments and retail alongside another tower with hotel, parking, and office uses. Connect CRE reports that the fuller build-out calls for a 176-room luxury Autograph Collection hotel called The Tycoon, roughly 115,000 square feet of Class AA office space, 242 apartment units, and more than 10,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, according to Connect CRE.
A Sister Project Reaches New Heights
While One University works through its paperwork, its companion project down the corridor is celebrating a milestone. The Van Zandt, located at 2816 West 7th Street, reached the highest point on the building earlier this summer, according to Goldenrod. The project includes 100,000 square feet of office space, 226 luxury apartments, and 13,000 square feet of retail, with space for interior tenant buildout expected by mid-2027.
Together, the two projects represent a combined development cost of roughly $400 million and about 740,000 square feet, per the same account. The Van Zandt must be finished by June 30, 2027, while Goldenrod must complete One University by June 30, 2028, to qualify for its share of city incentives. Fort Worth has since amended its agreement with Goldenrod to give the company an extension on the Van Zandt project.
Incentives Come With Strings Attached
The city's financial stake in these projects is substantial. Under an economic development agreement approved by the Fort Worth City Council in late 2023, Goldenrod is eligible for up to $31 million in city incentives — $19.7 million for One University and $11.2 million for Van Zandt — but only if the developer refrains from leasing ground-floor space to freestanding bars or nightclubs for 15 years and prioritizes corporate relocations, according to The Real Deal. Fort Worth offers economic incentives for both the One University and Van Zandt developments, with restrictions on bars and a priority for corporate relocations.
The path here hasn't been entirely smooth. The Fort Worth City Council previously amended its incentive agreement with Goldenrod to uncouple One University and the Van Zandt into separate contracts, a move that put the projects under separate contracts, reported by the Star-Telegram as covered by Construction Review that was intended to simplify financing and set independent completion deadlines for each site. Fort Worth representatives referred the Star-Telegram to Goldenrod for details on when One University might break ground, and a Goldenrod representative did not immediately provide further details on the development.
Why Fort Worth Is Betting Big on Corporate Office Space
Goldenrod Companies was founded in 2005 by Chairman and CEO Zach Wiegert, a former consensus All-American offensive lineman and Outland Trophy winner at the University of Nebraska who played 12 seasons in the NFL before moving into commercial real estate, according to Goldenrod Capital Advisors. The firm now manages more than $3 billion in assets with offices in Omaha, Lincoln, Dallas, Fort Worth, Tulsa, and Atlanta.
Fort Worth's push for Class A corporate space isn't happening in isolation. Fort Worth also has a 2017 strategic plan. Fort Worth has also offered incentives for office development.
The Cultural District includes office projects, and walkable Class A office space is part of the area's development activity. Nearby, JPMorgan Chase & Co. has signed on as anchor tenant at Crescent Offices West. Larkspur Capital and Keystone Group have also been linked to a potential $1.7 billion mixed-use development nearby, according to Construction Review.
The West 7th corridor is also part of Fort Worth's broader development story.
