Broadcast Hill: Call to Action
A 51 acre tract of undeveloped land adjacent to Tandy Hills is for sale. Known as Broadcast Hill, these acres and Friends of Tandy Hills share a long history as they were the rallying cry of our founding in 2004. The biological bounty here is equal to Tandy Hills and with even more breathtaking views.
The land is part of the Tandy Hills Greenbelt which runs between Beach Street and Oakland Boulevard south of I-30. Friends of Tandy Hills Natural Area believe that these 51 acres should be added to Tandy Hills.
Coincidentially, the City of Fort Worth has a begun a new initiative called, Open Space Acquisitions Program. One of their first steps is to identify and prioritize which land to acquire. That is to be applauded, but that program won't be up to speed anytime soon.
The asking price for the 51 acres is $700,000 or $13,725 per acre. Notably, the current price is $400K less than in 2015. This is a golden (or green) opportunity for our city to acquire and protect this unique parcel of land. We just need to persuade the city to act before commercial interests snap it up.
To encourage prompt action, Friends of Tandy Hills is pledging $13,725 (the cost of one acre) towards the purchase. We urge others to also make such a pledge.
Your help is vital. Compose a message to any or all elected officials and city staff listed below asking the city to acquire Broadcast Hill and preserve it as a natural green space. Send your message to the mayor, council, and city staff as soon as possible. Hand-signed snail mail is even better. See Talking Points, links, and addresses below.
Mayor Price: mayorbetsy@fortworthtexas.gov
District 2: carlos.flores@fortworthtexas.gov
District 3: brian.byrd@fortworthtexas.gov
District 4: cary.moon@fortworthtexas.gov
District 5: gyna.bivens@fortworthtexas.gov
District 6: jungus.jordan@fortworthtexas.gov
District 7: dennis.shingleton@fortworthtexas.gov
District 8: kelly.allen.gray@fortworthtexas.gov
District 9: ann.zadeh@fortworthtexas.gov
City Manager: David.Cooke@fortworthtexas.gov
Park & Rec: David.Creek@fortworthtexas.gov
Senior Planner: jennifer.dyke@fortworthtexas.gov
> cc Friends of Tandy Hills: information@tandyhills.org
Snail Mail address: 200 Texas St, FW, TX, 76102
Talking Points & Links:
Tandy Hills & Broadcast Hill, combined, are the Green Cultural District of Fort Worth
Green space, both prairie, and forest helps clean the air in FW
With more than 1200 native species, the biological inventory here is unmatched in the inner city
The Tandy Hills greenbelt is the best place to view wildflowers in north TX
The urban natural area would grow to more than 210 acres, making it one of the largest in the country
An already existing Friends group (FOTHNA) can help manage the land
The land is a living laboratory for scientists in multi-disciplines
Less than 1% of native prairies, like these acres, remain undeveloped
The land is a unique recreation area in the central city
The views are among the most breathtaking in the city
The city purchased the land for Tandy Hills exactly 60 years ago on April 22, 1960, the same date that would become Earth Day in 1970.
Much Fort Worth history is associated with Broadcast Hill
Development would be detrimental to the immediate neighborhoods
> Supporters of the acquisition include Friends of Tandy Hills Natural Area, West Meadowbrook NA, FW City Councilperson Kelly Allen Gray, Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Prof. Bruce Benz of Texas Wesleyan University, Native Prairies Association of Texas-FW, East FW Business Assoc., Tarrant Coalition for Environmental Awareness and Greater FW Sierra Club.
Link to City Council work session video presentation, Open Space Acquisition Program:
http://fortworthgov.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=5&clip_id=3449#
