Fort Worth City Council members voted 9-2 to approve the name change during their Oct. 21 meeting despite calls from a handful of residents to vote it down. Council members Charlie Lauersdorf and Alan Blaylock were the dissenting votes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis name change has absolutely nothing to do with politics and should not be used to sow dissension in our community,\u201d said council member Macy Hill, whose district borders the intersection of what will be Westside Drive and University Drive.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hill said she asked the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce to research small business grants, state funds or philanthropic help that could assist small business owners.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/102125-White-settlement-3-.jpg\")
Fort Worth City Council member Macy Hill listens to comments from residents in opposition to renaming a portion of White Settlement Road during a council meeting Oct. 21, 2025, at City Hall. (Drew Shaw | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n
Lauersdorf said that, as the owner of a small commercial photography business, he couldn\u2019t support the name change, knowing what it would be like for business owners to \u201cgo through a lot of hoops\u201d to accommodate that change.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The name change imposes a heavy financial burden on the small businesses<\/a> who operate along the road, 10 owners told the Fort Worth Report earlier this week. They said businesses will be forced to rebrand signs, advertisements and business cards as well as amend state and federal licenses.<\/p>\n Larkspur Capital, the Dallas-based developer leading the Westside Village project, is exploring ways to financially assist the small businesses that must accommodate the name change, company president Carl Anderson said during the meeting. He told council members he couldn\u2019t specify a dollar amount.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis is something we just started working on today in response to concerns from the businesses along the corridor,\u201d Anderson said. \u201cSo it\u2019s not something we figured out yet, but \u2026 something we\u2019re working on immediately.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n After the meeting, Anderson told the Fort Worth Report the company expects to have updates on available financial assistance within about two weeks. Larkspur Capital will coordinate with city staff to share that information with business owners and also will provide it on the company\u2019s website<\/a>, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Chris Mahon, who manages Tarrant County operations for the national glass repair company Binswanger Glass\u2019s store on the renamed road, told council members during the meeting he expects his company to face \u201cwell into the hundreds of thousands\u201d in related costs to accommodate the road name change<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Such costs include updating contracts with hundreds of vendors, contacting thousands of customers, filling out new credit applications and processing new labor invoices for completed and future work, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mahon told the Fort Worth Report after the meeting that Binswanger representatives will reach out to Westside Village developers about available financial assistance, but he doubts they\u2019ll cover all related costs for major companies like his.<\/p>\n Westside developers requested the road segment\u2019s name change and are covering about $26,000 in related costs to the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bryan Barrett is the chief financial officer of the Fort Worth-based private investment firm Keystone Capital, partnering with Larkspur Capital to develop Westside Village. Barrett said his company looks forward to doing \u201csomething great\u201d for the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOur goal here is to do nothing but enhance this part of Fort Worth,\u201d Barrett said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Acknowledging that the topic of the road\u2019s name is \u201ccontentious,\u201d Hill emphasized that renaming street names to accommodate economic growth is \u201cnothing new\u201d in Fort Worth, noting the city changed a portion of the road in front of City Hall to mark its opening.\u00a0<\/p>\n The city\u2019s Transportation and Public Works Department will design 47 street signs bearing the new name and install them at 15 intersections, according to a staff report to council.\u00a0<\/p>\n Renaming a portion of White Settlement Road marks the latest chapter in a yearslong debate over the name\u2019s historical significance and value.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 1841, Tarrant County\u2019s namesake Gen. Edward H. Tarrant ordered the Texas militia to attack the Comanche, Kickapoo, Caddo and other Native settlements along Village Creek, ultimately forcing Native Americans farther\u00a0west to escape encroaching white settlers.\u00a0<\/p>\n White Settlement Road formed to connect Fort Worth \u2014 then a fort intended to protect settlers \u2014 to the white homesteads in the western area now known as the city of White Settlement.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mayor Mattie Parker said after taking office in 2021 that she was open to the discussion of a new name<\/a> for the road. In the four years since, council members never brought the issue to a formal vote. Parker did not comment on the name change during the meeting but voted with the majority to approve it.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fort Worth resident David Martinez, who identified himself as Native American, said he\u2019s \u201cnot offended\u201d by White Settlement Road\u2019s name but by the proposal to change it.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis is part of history. This is not something we\u2019re going to erase, and this is not going to help any Native American,\u201d Martinez said, as he urged the council to deny the requested change.\u00a0<\/p>\n White Settlement resident Aaron James urged council members to vote against the change, arguing that it erases history. Preserving the road\u2019s history is \u201ccrucial\u201d and more important than financial incentives, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThese names are not mere labels,\u201d James said. \u201cThey\u2019re embodiments of our past, reminders of how far we\u2019ve come, and markers of the complex interactions between our ancestors.\u201d<\/p>\n In June, City Council members unanimously approved a $125 million incentive package<\/a> for the Westside Village project that will help pay for flood control, infrastructure and streetscape improvements. Officials expect the project to generate nearly $121 million in new taxes to the city over 15 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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<\/a>.<\/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\/10\/102125-White-settlement-4-.jpg\")
Larkspur Capital president Carl Anderson speaks in support of renaming a portion of White Settlement Road during a Fort Worth City Council meeting Oct. 21, 2025, at City Hall. (Drew Shaw | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Lenzen_WhiteSettlement_04-1-2.jpg\")
The intersection of White Settlement Road and University Drive, pictured Oct. 14, 2025, in Fort Worth. (Cecilia Lenzen | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/102125-White-settlement-1-.jpg\")
White Settlement resident Aaron James speaks in opposition to renaming a portion of White Settlement Road during a Fort Worth City Council meeting Oct. 21, 2025, at City Hall. (Drew Shaw | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n
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