City of Fort Worth
An artist's rendering of the future City Council Chambers.
Construction on the new Fort Worth City Council Chambers is set to begin now that a lengthy federal permitting process has been completed.
The approval paves the way for the commencement of construction on the new chambers on the site of the former Pier 1 headquarters site at 100 Energy Way. This new project will also include an adjoining parking structure adjacent to the tower.
The city had expected to open the new building for business late this year. But a federal floodway dating back to the 1940s was discovered on the site after planning was already underway.
The chambers are expected to open in late 2024 or early 2025, the city said.
"A project as large and momentous as a new City Hall and Council Chambers for the 13th-largest and fastest-growing city in the U.S. takes a lot of work from a large team of folks," Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker says in a statement. "I appreciate the commitment and coordination from the staffs at the City, Tarrant Regional Water District, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and team of consultants that helped us get to where we are in this process.”
A federal floodway refers to land adjacent to a river that must be reserved to discharge flood waters in the case that water levels become too high during a rain event. In this instance, a federal floodway easement is a piece of land on a property designated to divert floodwaters. The presence of an easement requires developers to get permission from the easements’ owner before development.
According to city documents, project managers had to seek a Federal 408 Floodway Easement permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to move forward with construction.
The city purchased the former Pier 1 Imports headquarters in January 2021. The city conducted a survey to find any easements or utility lines that might hinder the construction process. According to Athenian Group vice president of client solutions Tanyan Farley the survey did not reveal any federal floodways.
It wasn’t until officials from Tarrant Regional Water District pointed out the missing floodway easement in December that the city realized it would have to go through the costly and time-intensive process of securing a federal permit before work could continue.
Now that this process is complete, the city can take the next step forward by issuing grading, foundation, and related permits, setting the stage for the construction of the council chamber building and its surrounding site.
"Fort Worth’s Future City Hall will deliver on the promise to create a welcoming and inviting space that will help to transform an important area of downtown," Parker says. "The buildings will bring to life a ‘One-Stop-Shop’ for City service experiences and a Council Chambers our growing city deserves.”