Amari Collins, 5, ran up the inflatable waterslide and zeroed in on his first trip down. His mom, Trenecia Williams, dove right into her neighbor’s ideas for the future of their east Fort Worth community.
The mother and son were two of about 100 Woodhaven residents who voiced their thoughts about next steps for development during a June 26 festival hosted by the city. Residents gathered outside of the International Leadership of Texas Woodhaven school during a hot afternoon and exchanged ideas over music, hot dogs and snow cones.
“I do think activities like this are good,” Williams said. “I was excited. My son was excited. I do like being able to talk and put an input on the community that I live in.”
Fort Worth officials are working with Interface Studio, a Philadelphia-based urban planning company, to plan Woodhaven’s development.
Joyce Thomas, president of the Woodhaven Neighborhood Association, said the future for Woodhaven — and the eastside as a whole — is bright.
“We have the vision of having a multipurpose center, possibly having some walking trails and maybe an amphitheater,” Thomas said.
The event featured seven stations where residents provided feedback on the neighborhood. One station included a “thumbs up, thumbs down” board, on which residents could vote on things they would and wouldn’t like to see. Another was a photo booth with chalkboards that prompted residents to write their “big idea” for the community and pose for a picture.
Vicki Zangara, the neighborhood association’s treasurer and an 18-year Woodhaven resident, is proud of her community. She has an idea for how to strengthen her neighborhood.
“I’d like to see a rec center, which may also include meeting rooms or community rooms to gather,” Zangara said.
Dawn Johansen and her husband, who have lived in Woodhaven for 20 years, want the golf course back. The greens were a good spot to meet with neighbors, Johansen said.
Fort Worth real estate firm Crescendo Development purchased 160 acres in Woodhaven — including the former golf course — for $8.5 million during a May 7 foreclosure auction. Crescendo plans to redevelop the land.
If the golf course can’t make a comeback, Johansen wants a community gathering space.
“I’d like to have at least a building that we can have events at, so we’d have a place to gather,” Johansen said. “We have a women’s group. We just don’t have any place to go.”
Chris Patton, a 16-year resident of Woodhaven, wants to prioritize upgrading nearby businesses and retail areas.
The next meeting to present ideas for Woodhaven’s development will take place in the fall, said Mindy Watts, a principal of Interface Studio.
Assistant City Manager Fernando Costa is leading the group that will help allocate where the funding for Woodhaven’s development will go.
“One of the best reasons to be optimistic about the future of Woodhaven is the involvement of neighborhood leaders and residents,” Costa said. “They’re well informed, well engaged in community activities, and they’re here today in large numbers. This is evidence that the community wants to be and will be involved in the planning process.”
As for Williams, she made her way through the stations and had detailed conversations with her neighbors about Woodhaven’s future.
Her son, Amari, had other pressing concerns. He took his last trip down the waterslide and immediately jumped in line for a snow cone.
Ryan Thorpe is an audience engagement fellow at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at ryan.thorpe@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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