Fort Worth City Council approved a 2,396-square-foot Japanese steakhouse at 2509 Merrick St., allowing Aspen Hospitality Group to move ahead with its second restaurant in the Camp Bowie corridor. The approval sets a parking plan for the compact site near Merrick Street and Birchman Avenue, just north of Interstate 30, next door to Aspen’s planned Italian restaurant.
A Compact Site, a Conditional Parking Plan
The steakhouse site had sat empty since its prior building was demolished earlier in 2026, according to Fort Worth Report. Aspen Hospitality Group, which is based in Colorado and partly owned by Fort Worth energy executive John Sellers, has applied to build the steakhouse next door to its new Italian restaurant, Acquolina, at 5139 Camp Bowie Blvd., as the Star-Telegram reported. The steakhouse's name and menu remain in development, per Aspen officials cited by the Fort Worth Report.
Aspen's applications for both projects were filed by managing partner Carlos Solorzano-Smith, the Star-Telegram notes. The company is also planning another Fort Worth restaurant called Trattoria & Pizzeria, though its location has not yet been announced.
How the Parking Plan Works
The site is within 250 feet of two-family zoning, triggering minimum parking requirements under city rules, according to a staff report cited by the Fort Worth Report. Aspen sought an amendment to planned development zoning for neighborhood commercial uses. City staff found that request compatible with surrounding commercial uses and the nearby residential neighborhood.
The zoning waiver allows 19 parking spaces on the site, five fewer than the 24 typically required. Developers arranged to use five additional spaces in a private lot across Merrick Street, according to the Star-Telegram. The staff report says that agreement ends if the restaurant remains vacant for more than 180 days without a building permit. Staff also found the off-site parking and proposed landscaping met zoning requirements, with exceptions for the agreement’s termination clause and a four-foot front-yard fence. The steakhouse is limited to no greater than 50% site density.
The Roy Pope Site Faced a Different Parking Dispute
No attendees spoke in opposition at the Oct. 27 council meeting. The approval came after a more contentious restaurant proposal three blocks north, at the former Roy Pope grocery site at 2300 Merrick St. On Sept. 10, zoning commissioners voted 8-2 against recommending a zoning exemption there, citing a shortfall from the 72 parking spaces required, according to the Fort Worth Report. A city staff report in that case noted that a previously approved grocery plan allowed as few as 34 off-street and 10 on-street spaces.
Despite the commission’s recommendation, City Council approved a zoning exemption for the Roy Pope site on Sept. 29. Developers had secured an agreement to use 50 parking spaces at a nearby property after 6 p.m., the Fort Worth Report reported. West Byers Neighborhood Association president Maureen Corns argued that the restaurant would not be compatible with the surrounding area.
How the Parking Deals Differ
Aspen’s plan combines 19 spaces on site with five across Merrick Street. The separate Roy Pope proposal instead relied on an agreement for 50 nearby spaces after 6 p.m., following a zoning commission recommendation against an exemption and a later council approval. For broader corridor context, The Real Deal reported in April 2026 that Camp Bowie Inc. was creating a master plan to support additional development in the area.
Council member Macy Hill, whose district includes the steakhouse site, commended Aspen for working to resolve the parking issue and said the company handled the neighborhood concern appropriately. Zoning commissioners recommended the steakhouse zoning change. The project also received a development waiver allowing a masonry front-yard fence no taller than four feet, although nearby residential streets otherwise prohibit front-yard fences.
