Top City officials tour newest Neighborhood Improvement Program area

Top City officials tour newest Neighborhood Improvement Program area

Published on February 17, 2026

A bus full of City of Fort Worth's top officials toured the New Mitchell neighborhood Friday, Feb. 13, to look at areas of potential opportunity for revitalization efforts through the Neighborhood Improvement Program.

The Neighborhood Services Department (NSD) designated New Mitchell, a neighborhood of roughly 3,300 residents in southeast Fort Worth, as the newest Neighborhood Improvement Program neighborhood to receive over $4 million for revitalization efforts over the next three years.

As the bus came to a stop at the William M. McDonald YMCA, City officials stepped off to meet residents whose lives will be directly impacted by the investment. City Manager Jay Chapa and Mitchell Boulevard Neighborhood Association President Laverne Walker discussed how to use this capital investment to improve their quality of life.

"I've been here 40 years in this area," Walker said. "We just want the best for our neighborhood, and I've seen a big difference in it. I love what's coming in."

Also joining the tour was District 8 City Councilmember Chris Nettles, who emphasized the need for infrastructure and safety improvements.

"One of the things we have seen is a lot of accidents right around this corridor," Nettles said. "Kids are walking on a major street. We want to see a lot of safety implementations to take place over here."

Representatives from partnering City departments - including Transportation & Public Works, Environmental Services, Park & Recreation, Code Compliance, Police and others -were also on the tour.

"I really like the Neighborhood Improvement Program because it's a way for us to concentrate resources in areas that have the greatest need," said Assistant City Manager Dana Burghdoff. "It's a way to align the efforts of different departments. I think it helps to build community, externally, but it's also a great way to build teamwork, internally, within the City."

NSD has already supported other revitalization efforts in neighborhoods including Northside, Como, Worth Heights and Stop Six through the NIP. Since 2017, NSD has invested $38 million into 11 neighborhoods.

"The team has already worked with our City partners to start on projects to get them implemented," said NSD Director Kacey Thomas. "The vision is that by the end of these three years, New Mitchell will be a completely different place from where it started and that residents will feel like the City took an interest in their neighborhood and did what we promised."

NSD plans host a block party for the New Mitchell neighborhood in the coming weeks.

Photo: City officials arrive in New Mitchell to see how more than $4 million in improvements will be implemented in the coming years.

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