Fort Worth's Historic Southside neighborhood will finally celebrate the start of construction on a long-promised mixed-use residential and retail project next month, with a groundbreaking block party scheduled for Dec. 12 at Evans Avenue Plaza. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will be followed by lunch and family-friendly activities, marking a major turning point for a development that has been years in the making.
The gathering celebrates groundbreaking on the $61 million Evans & Rosedale Urban Village, according to the Fort Worth Report. That figure differs slightly from the $63 million price tag the same outlet reported back in April, and the newspaper's November account describes 180 affordable housing units for seniors and families, while its June report put the number at up to 181 income-restricted units intended for the neighborhood's older residents. Fort Worth officials, Royal Capital representatives and members of the Historic Southside Neighborhood Association are all expected to take part in the groundbreaking ceremony.
What's Planned for the Site
The project is set to include new apartments, live-work spaces, shops and restaurants, with Evans Avenue Plaza itself incorporated into the plan as a park. About 15,700 square feet is earmarked for commercial uses, including two restaurants, a fitness center, a business center and a coffee shop, per the same report. A grocery concept of at least 3,000 square feet is also planned, along with roughly 283 new parking spaces.
An earlier report from Candy's Dirt described the development's website as advertising 27,000 square feet of commercial space, a figure that does not match the newspaper's more recent 15,700-square-foot total; it is not clear from available reporting whether the two numbers cover different scopes of the project. Preliminary site grading was expected to occur this month, the Fort Worth Report noted, though the outcome of that work has not been confirmed.
Funding Split Between Developer and City
Royal Capital is spending at least $48 million in hard construction costs, while the city of Fort Worth is providing $8.5 million in grants and forgivable loans, the Fort Worth Report reported. Up to $7 million of that city funding is directed toward infrastructure costs through the Southside Tax Increment Finance District. The Fort Worth Housing Finance Corp. and the Fort Worth Local Development Corp. both contributed land for the project.
Five buildings near Evans Avenue Plaza are planned at a combined cost of about $6.2 million, according to filings with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation cited by the Fort Worth Report. Among them is a 2,659-square-foot future restaurant site at 928 Evans Ave., estimated to cost about $716,200, and an 11,029-square-foot mixed-use retail building at 916 Evans Ave. carrying a price tag of more than $1.8 million.
A Neighborhood Decades in the Making
Fort Worth has worked to redevelop 36 parcels east of Interstate 35 and north of East Rosedale Street for more than 20 years, according to Bisnow, which reported that a 2019 proposal for the site called for 292 apartments, 20 townhomes, retail shops and office space before the plan changed hands. Royal Capital was selected in 2024 to take over development duties. Kevin Newell, founder and CEO of the Milwaukee-based firm, said the company's national lifestyle campus model is coming to Fort Worth and suits the Historic Southside, according to the Fort Worth Report.
Historic Southside counts more than 2,500 residents with a median household income of $51,899 and an unemployment rate of 8%, based on North Texas Community Foundation data cited in the Fort Worth Report's April coverage. District 8 Council Member Chris Nettles said the development honors the Historic Southside's legacy while supporting housing, economic growth and neighborhood connection. Kristina Banta, president of the Historic Southside Neighborhood Association, said the community looks forward to celebrating a milestone that honors its roots while building its future.
Nearby Projects and What's Next
The Southside Community Center was demolished in early October ahead of the new construction, and a National Juneteenth Museum is planned a few blocks away at New York Avenue and East Rosedale Street. Separately, earlier filings described seven residential units planned at 901 Evans Ave. and six townhouses at 909 Evans Ave., with those two buildings expected to start construction Nov. 1 and finish by April 2027, according to the Fort Worth Report's June coverage.
Attendees can RSVP through the Evans & Rosedale webpage ahead of the Dec. 12 celebration. For a neighborhood that has waited through multiple plan changes and shifting figures over the years, the block party offers a tangible marker that ground is finally about to break on Evans Avenue.
