For John Wood, it’s hard to imagine a more ideal location to plant crops and build urban greenhouses than at an expansive former fairway tucked away in the Woodhaven neighborhood.
Wood wants to increase food accessibility among Fort Worth youth through agriculture and environmental stewardship by using the green space at the 150 acres of the now defunct Woodhaven Country Club and golf course.
His environmental nonprofit Econautics aims to use the east Fort Worth site to foster connectivity to nature among children and families.
“That’s the goal,” Wood said. “It could meaningfully increase the quality of life for youth in the neighborhood.”
Crescendo Development, the company that now owns the acreage at the Woodhaven golf course, is one step closer to its vision for agriculture, housing and retail at the site now that Econautics has signed on.
The nonprofit is the first organization to put the land to use after Crescendo received approval from city officials in October for its preliminary plan to create the mixed-use development that faced some pushback from neighbors who worried about the traffic and density it would bring.
“We want to preserve as much green space as possible while having an economically viable project,” Crescendo Development owner and founder Will Northern said. “Econautics will serve as a healthy, holistic draw that will show it is possible to have agricultural-type uses adjacent to development.”
Bridging the gap
Econautics leased out 10 acres of the Woodhaven property in November with plans to use former warehouses and sheds to teach families and youth how to garden and grow quality produce, Wood said.
Fields of crops and greenhouses will also dot the land.
“We want to help bridge the gap in the food safety net in our country and my hometown of Fort Worth,” he said.
Econautics launched in 2012 with the mission of educating the public on how to apply sustainable practices into business operations in response to environmental concerns, such as poor water quality.
Now it focuses on environmental stewardship and teaching youth how to use clean technology to promote sustainable food production. Sustainable agriculture is an approach aimed at producing food while protecting the environment and expanding natural resources.
Plans for Woodhaven will involve assistance from a nurse practitioner and nutritionists to bring Econautics’ “outdoor kitchen” to life, Wood said.
Meanwhile, accessing the green space at the site will help improve the quality of life for east Fort Worth’s youth, he added, noting that Quanah Parker Park is the only park in Woodhaven now.
“Connecting with nature, that’s one of the things we’d like to have on-site,” he said.
Having grown up playing outdoors, hiking, and swimming in ponds, Wood wants other children to have a similar experience as they grow healthy foods, learn about environmental science and become grounded in nature at the former golf course.
“These are all things that promote longevity and address chronic diseases, which is a huge strain on the health care system and especially these communities,” Wood said.
Mixed feelings
Crescendo’s plans to revitalize the area drew mixed reactions from the public. Some neighbors opposed the project saying they worried about the increase in traffic and impact on the environment from building single-family homes, apartments and shops in the area.
Keith Larson, Woodhaven Neighborhood Association vice president, is looking forward to the environmental education Econautics will make available to youth.
“To show people in a not terribly big piece of property that you can actually grow and cultivate food that you can eat is a pretty exciting opportunity,” Larson said.
He finds Crescendo has done an “admirable job” of meeting with nearby residents to learn more about what they want to see at the site, which he said includes the light revitalization of a golf course and trails to access the Trinity River and Quanah Parker Park.
“There’s a lot of opportunity in the plan there, and we hope very much that the vision is going to play out as explained,” Larson added.
However, other residents believe Crescendo’s plans to increase retailers and business would not serve the neighborhood.
Woodhaven resident Erika Graham finds it “inappropriate” to develop a commercial space in a densely populated residential area.
Her concerns also stem from how the neighborhood’s tax increment financing district’s funds will be applied to the redevelopment of the golf course.
“While the apartment owners may be paying into the (TIF), it is ultimately the apartment residents that are out of pocket for it,” Graham said.
She and other residents would have preferred the city purchased the land and lightly redevelop the area with amenities such as an event venue, walking trails and a community center for neighborhood members to meet.
“However this property is developed, it needs to include amenities for all Woodhaven residents,” Graham said.
Envisioning Woodhaven’s future
Econautics’ mission aligns with Northern’s goals of preserving green space and nature while also being business-friendly, he said.
Whatever changes may come for Woodhaven, Crescendo Development wants to incorporate as much nature as possible into the site’s future, Northern said.
Even where new housing will be built, they’ll be designed to maintain green space, he said. While the golf course has not been in operation for several years, Crescendo has identified a large parcel of the area to become a smaller golf course.
Sitting on the left edge of the acreage is potential parkland, Northern said. While development of that parcel relies on public funds, he hopes to one day revamp the land to become a park, amplifying green space in the Woodhaven area.
“I want to … bring out and preserve those beautiful areas that make this place so special,” he said.
Nicole Lopez is the environment reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at nicole.lopez@fortworthreport.org.
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Great Job Nicole Lopez & the Team @ Fort Worth Report for sharing this story.
