\u201cWe have seven train stations in Fort Worth with an eighth on the way in the Medical District,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rich Andreski, president and CEO of Trinity Metro, told the Fort Worth Report. \u201cEach one of them has enormous potential to be something more than a parking lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grapevine\u2019s TEXRail station, he said, is the agency\u2019s model.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnybody who\u2019s been to Grapevine will see the beautiful Vin hotel, a mixed-used development with Harvest Hall and a food court, and entertainment events going on there just about every night of the week,\u201d Andreski said. \u201cThey\u2019ve really shown what can be. We want to realize some of that potential here in Fort Worth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trinity Metro\u2019s successful candidate for economic development will work closely with the business community, developers, property owners and other stakeholders to implement development objectives, develop private-public partnerships, boost ridership and maximize real estate assets. The agency is seeking a candidate with at least seven years of economic development or urban planning experience, according to the job posting<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re creating this position at Trinity Metro because we need somebody that wakes up every day and thinks about economic development,\u201d Andreski said. \u201cOur wheelhouse right now is providing great public transportation, but we need somebody on the team that\u2019s going to come in and build relationships with the city and the development community and then cultivate those opportunities. To realize something like Grapevine at one of our train stations here, will require lots of effort. \u2026 I think several of our stations are in markets that are very hot.\u201d<\/p>\n The Fort Worth Central Station, for example, is a \u201chot, hot location\u201d near the new Texas A&M Fort Worth campus under construction downtown, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe have the Vickery Boulevard property, which is soon to be surrounded by new hotels that are being developed on South Main and Vickery,\u201d Andreski said. \u201dThose are very ripe opportunities. Of course, we have our North Side Station, which is not far from the Stockyards and all the development that\u2019s going on there. I think we\u2019re at a really great time right now.\u201d<\/p>\n Quality development projects that have impact and are \u201cspectacular\u201d will be sought for train stations, he said.<\/p>\n North Texas planners recommend denser housing and retail projects centered around transit corridors and stations to accommodate the region\u2019s booming population. More than 4 million people<\/a> are expected to move to North Texas within the next 25 years, adding to traffic congestion and housing needs as sprawl spreads to once-rural areas.<\/p>\n Grapevine\u2019s Main Street Station \u2014 a $114 million public-private development \u2014 is located in the historic downtown area and is a popular destination for day trips for riders who want to shop, eat and enjoy entertainment.<\/p>\n The 42,000-square-foot rail station at Main Street and Dallas Road is known for its 150-foot-tall Observation Tower and expansive outdoor plaza, also includes a food hall with seven kitchens; an entertainment venue; the six-story, 120-room Hotel Vin; and a 552-space parking garage. Grapevine residents approved a 1-cent sales tax for the TEXRail service and other rail station area improvements in 2006.Grapevine sees economic impact every day with riders traveling to the station and visiting city shops and businesses, thanks in part to a municipal shuttle bus that transports riders to resorts, Grapevine Mills<\/a> mall and other locations.<\/p>\n Andreski said the Grapevine economic growth from 2018 to 2023 within a short walking distance from the station is notable \u2014 a 38% jump in sales tax receipts versus 23% citywide.<\/p>\n \u201cBasically, there\u2019s twice the amount of business impact occurring if you\u2019re close, within walking distance of a train station,\u201d Andreski said.<\/p>\n Property values within walking distance of a train station also increased by about 95%, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThese investments in transit and rail pay for themselves,\u201d Andreski said. \u201cWe don\u2019t see the payback in our balance sheet, but it shows up all throughout the community. It shows up in small business activity, it shows up in real estate transactions, it shows up in housing prices. \u2026 We are poised to do some great things in the city of Fort Worth.\u201d<\/p>\n Plans for transit-oriented developments are underway at several Tarrant County stations, including a $2 billion project called River Central<\/a> that will be built on more than 140 acres in far east Fort Worth and adjacent Grand Prairie.<\/p>\n The River Central development, near the Trinity Railway Express<\/a>\u2019 CentrePort Station, includes a 140-room hotel, 120,000 square feet of office space, a concert venue, 60,000 square feet for retail space as well as 500 apartments, 500 townhomes and more than 30 restaurants. Retailers would be adjacent to State Highway 360, developer Ken Schaumburg of Fort Worth-based Schaumburg Inc. Architects previously told the Fort Worth Report.<\/p>\n Craig Hulse, economic development director for North Richland Hills, said he supports Trinity Metro\u2019s efforts to create transit-oriented developments.<\/p>\n \u201cThey own land in and around these stations,\u201d he said. \u201cIn many cases, it\u2019s underutilized. They need a quarterback, so I commend them on seeing the need for an economic development professional to manage those opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n North Richland Hills\u2019 Iron Horse Station is surrounded by apartments, townhomes and patio homes, mostly developed from three large tracts. The station\u2019s \u201cclose proximity to Walmart, Home Depot, Sam\u2019s Club and the restaurants on Rufe Snow and (Interstate) 820 has been a blessing for those residents there,\u201d Hulse said.<\/p>\n Officials received plans for a proposed development on a remaining large tract at the corner of Browning Drive and Iron Horse Boulevard. A few small parcels are being considered for commercial uses.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter that, Iron Horse is done,\u201d Hulse said.<\/p>\n Up the rail line at Smithfield Station, Hulse said there are opportunities for development on small, independently owned tracts, but those sites are more challenging.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a huge gap between Smithfield and downtown Grapevine,\u201d Hulse said. \u201cThe riddle of putting together sites to redevelop and develop into TOD development has been slower (and) more difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n Hulse suggests that a multi-story, mixed-use development could be the right fit for the Smithfield Station\u2019s 10-acre parking lot.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Trinity Metro (says), \u2018Yeah, that can be a parking lot, but what can you put above a parking lot?\u2019 Hulse said. \u201cWe, as a city, would love to see parking garages, but those are more expensive to develop and you only see those in the downtown areas.\u201d<\/p>\n Hulse also sees opportunity for Trinity Metro at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport North Station, a facility that Dallas Area Rapid Transit will share for its 26-mile Silver Line<\/a> train from Plano.<\/p>\n \u201cTheir other station in Grapevine is in the middle of nowhere right now. It\u2019s on DFW Airport property with nothing around it,\u201d Hulse said. \u201cIt\u2019s a tremendous opportunity for business and development there.\u201d<\/p>\n Andreski said Trinity Metro could see additional revenue through transit developments.<\/p>\n Later this year, the agency will kick off an economic study of the Tarrant County transit stations, Andreski said.<\/p>\n The study \u2014 aided by a $405,000 Federal Transit Administration grant \u2014 will identify opportunities to develop transit-oriented development around stations in Fort Worth with the help of private entities. Trinity Metro will kick in $101,250 in local sales tax revenue to yield an 80-20 federal-local share.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s to prime the pump and get the community talking,\u201d Andreski said. \u201cThere will be community engagement competent of the study, there will be a developer engagement competent of study. We\u2019ll bring people together to start to imagine what can happen at these sites. That will be one of the charges of the new economic development director to advance that study.\u201d<\/p>\n Eric E. Garcia is a senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n News decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Goss-TrinityMetro-08.jpg\")
Passengers walk around the train platform July 21, 2025, at the Central Station in downtown Fort Worth. (Mary Abby Goss | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/CentrePort-development.jpeg\")
River Central, a $2 billion transit-oriented development, is planned on more than 140 acres in far east Fort Worth and adjacent Grand Prairie. (Courtesy image | Schaumburg Inc. Architects)<\/p>\n
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