Council approves improvement district for Panther Island

Council approves improvement district for Panther Island

Published on February 24, 2026

City Council held a hearing on Tuesday and approved the creation of a Public Improvement District (PID) for the Panther Island project.

PIDs are designated areas established to provide specific types of public improvements or maintenance, funded through special assessments paid by property owners in the district. Fort Worth currently has 14 active PIDs.

Property owners representing the majority of taxable property value petitioned to create the PID. The district will fund ongoing operations, maintenance and improvements as development occurs.

Enhanced amenities, including streetscapes, canal paseos, parks and the urban lakefront, will require operational support and maintenance that is above and beyond normal City services, and so are appropriate for funding by property owners through a PID.

The Panther Island PID comprises approximately 407 acres (including tax-exempt areas) of property.

The assessment rate shall not exceed $0.02 per $100 valuation until the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) board has authorized a contract to begin construction of Canal C, Phase 1. The assessment rate shall not exceed $0.05 per $100 valuation until there has been a total of $50 million in new private improvements to property in the Panther Island PID. The maximum assessment rate shall at no time exceed $0.165 per $100 of valuation.

To establish the foundation of the PID and its improvements in its initial years, TRWD has committed to voluntarily participate for property that it owns, at the maximum rate, despite its tax-exempt status. Other public partners will be asked to do the same to allow sufficient funding as the PID develops.

About the project

The Central City Flood Control Project is a long-planned flood control project in partnership with multiple public agencies. The most prominent feature is a bypass channel in the Trinity River that will divert flood waters, restore flood protection to over 2,400 acres near downtown and allow aging levees to be removed.

The Central City Project will also result in the creation of Panther Island and more than 300 acres immediately north of downtown Fort Worth being available for development or redevelopment.

Get articles like this in your inbox. Subscribe to City News.

• District 2
• District 8