The panel featured Becky Bass, executive director of Fort Worth Community Land Trust; Will Northern, owner and founder of Crescendo Development; and Michelle Thomas, executive director of global philanthropy for JPMorgan Chase.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Michelle Thomas, executive director of global philanthropy for JPMorgan Chase, joins a panel on housing affordability during a growth summit in Fort Worth on Oct. 23, 2025. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n
Average home sale prices in Fort Worth have risen about 190% since 2010<\/a>, according to estimates from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development \u2014 a price hike due to demand outpacing housing supply, rising construction costs and inflation.<\/p>\n Addressing housing is vital to the city\u2019s future, said Bass, who emphasized that Fort Worth can\u2019t continue to bring in people to fill jobs and schools without homes they can afford.\u00a0<\/p>\n The city has grown about 34% over the past several years \u2014 faster than Texas\u2019 24% growth, Bass said.<\/p>\n The city\u2019s boom necessitates denser housing<\/a>, with \u201ca blend of housing types\u201d filling the city\u2019s neighborhoods, Northern said. He envisions single-family homes alongside duplexes and fourplexes, similar to the city\u2019s Near Southside neighborhood<\/a> that are the result of city investments, accessible public transit and flexible zoning.<\/p>\n Fort Worth\u2019s zoning categories<\/a> have evolved to make it easier to create affordable housing, said Northern, a former zoning commissioner who is recently developing a mixed-use area at the former Woodhaven golf course<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n As a zoning commissioner, he watched the creation of an \u201curban residential\u201d flexible zoning category, which allows developers to create affordable, dense housing suited to any existing neighborhood.<\/p>\n \u201cAll the lots out there are not perfect little rectangles; sometimes they\u2019re really odd shapes, and there are setbacks,\u201d Northern said. He added that through more flexible zoning, the city can \u201cmake land that might otherwise be undevelopable, developable.\u201d<\/p>\n Gentrification in the city\u2019s older neighborhoods was a top concern for Thomas. She said her parents bought their house within Fort Worth\u2019s core for $34,000. Now, it\u2019s worth over half a million.<\/p>\n The higher taxes these kinds of property values bring put pressure on older residents, many of whom are on fixed incomes.\u00a0<\/p>\n Since 2017, the city\u2019s average single-family home value rose from $188,536 to $305,476, according to the Tarrant Appraisal District.<\/p>\n Thomas said initiatives like Bass\u2019 land trust are necessary to ensure it\u2019s possible for people from mid-income ranges to become homeowners.<\/p>\n The Fort Worth Community Land Trust<\/a> buys property, renovates houses as needed, then sells the homes to a qualified family making up to 120% of the area\u2019s median income. The family owns the house, but the trust owns the land and gets first choice to buy back the residence when the family decides to move.<\/p>\n Since the trust keeps ownership of the land, the home prices stay attainable.<\/p>\n Panelists said stigmas around affordable housing and density are undeserved, and such projects garnered bad reputations because of poor management. As Fort Worth sees more multifamily and townhome initiatives, the city needs to ensure they are being operated by individuals who care about the properties and the people living in them, panelists said.<\/p>\n Bass said more money is needed to expand Fort Worth\u2019s housing supply in a sustainable, healthy way. She encouraged summit attendees to go to one of Fort Worth\u2019s 2026 bond town halls<\/a> and advocate for more of the $840 million bond<\/a>, which voters will weigh in on next May, to go to housing investments.<\/p>\n Currently, affordable housing\u2019s share of funding sits at the bottom of the city\u2019s bond draft, designated to receive $5 million.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe need funding sources outside of just federal resources and philanthropy,\u201d Bass said. \u201cIt is time for us to make local contributions to our housing ecosystem and then make it easy to use those dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n Drew Shaw is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at drew.shaw@fortworthreport.org<\/a> or @shawlings601<\/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![\"(Maria](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1023-Panel2-06-.jpg\")
Audience members listen to a panel on housing affordability at a growth summit in Fort Worth on Oct. 23, 2025. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n![\"(Maria](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1023-Panel2-04-.jpg\")
Will Northern, owner and founder of Crescendo Development, speaks on a panel discussing housing affordability during a growth summit in Fort Worth on Oct. 23, 2025. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n![\"(Maria](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1023-Panel2-11-.jpg\")
Becky Bass, executive director of Fort Worth Community Land Trust, addresses the future of housing affordability during a growth summit in Fort Worth on Oct. 23, 2025. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n
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