Fort Worth leaders are moving forward with a $500,000 investment to revitalize three small downtown parks—Lanham Plaza, John Peter Smith and Hyde—according to a Nov. 3 news release cited by the Fort Worth Report. The funding, drawn from park dedication fees charged to new housing developers, will support enhanced maintenance, lighting, trash receptacles, park furnishings and a cohesive landscaping plan.
Downtown Fort Worth Inc., which already manages Burnett Park and General Worth Square, announced the initiative last week. Director of public improvement districts Matt Beard said the nonprofit will apply its existing management system to the three additional spaces, allowing the city’s park and recreation department to raise the level of upkeep and add new amenities.
Beard explained that the push comes amid “increased parks usage resulting from a growing downtown population,” driven by projects such as the Fort Worth Convention Center expansion, the Texas A&M School of Law development and new housing construction. Residents, business owners and the public were invited to a meeting on Monday to share ideas for the parks. Common requests included more lighting, additional trash receptacles, park furnishings and a unified planting scheme.
City Council member Elizabeth Beck, whose district covers downtown, emphasized community input, stating, “These parks belong to the community, and we want the people who will use these parks to help shape future improvements.” Her comments were part of the same Nov. 3 release.
The upgrades will be coordinated with ongoing improvements at Burnett Park and the near‑completion of design work for Heritage and Paddock parks, which are at about 60% design completion. The broader GREENprint parks master plan also calls for a “central park” that would link natural areas at the Trinity River confluence, downtown Fort Worth and the future Panther Island, creating a more connected citywide park system.
While the nonprofit continues to analyze public feedback, officials say the next steps include finalizing design concepts and allocating the dedicated funds to specific projects. Residents can expect further public meetings as the city refines the plans, though exact dates have not yet been announced.
What’s next: Downtown Fort Worth Inc. will release detailed design proposals later this year and schedule additional community workshops to gather final input before construction begins. The city plans to begin phased construction on the three parks in early 2027, pending final approvals.
Sources: fortworthreport.org, fortworthreport.org
