Proposed interlocal agreement would help support new UTA West campus

Proposed interlocal agreement would help support new UTA West campus

Published on August 25, 2024

A proposed interlocal agreement between the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) and the City of Fort Worth could help support critical infrastructure development for the recently announced UTA West campus.

This campus would build upon UTA's longstanding history in the city - the UTA Research Institute (UTARI) has been operating in east Fort Worth since 1986, and the UTA Fort Worth Center opened in downtown in 2007.

UTA West would be constructed at Walsh Ranch in west Fort Worth, near the Parker County line. The first phase of its development would focus on the north parcel of the property, and would consist of up to five buildings totaling approximately 930,000 square feet, along with additional parking structures and other associated infrastructure.

UTA anticipates opening this north parcel for initial enrollment by fall 2028, providing academic programs prioritized to support future economic and workforce development activities and the needs of prospective students in the area. By 2043, the north section of the campus would support up to 5,000 students.

Once both the north and south parcels are completely built out, UTA expects the full campus to encompass 1.5 million square feet - supporting up to nine buildings and 12,000 students. Ultimately, the campus is expected to serve as a catalyst to drive future economic development opportunities and support workforce development activities in this growing part of the city.

As part of the proposed agreement, UTA would commit to installing several public service utilities such as water lines, domestic water meters and sanitary sewer lines across the northern part of the campus. The university would also commit to constructing an inner campus road as well as lighting, frontage road approaches, acceleration/deceleration lanes, and installing all franchise utilities.

The City of Fort Worth would provide a total of $4 million from the Economic Development Initiatives Fund (EDIF), with one payment of $2 million occurring after the formal execution of the interlocal agreement and the other $2 million to serve as reimbursement after all infrastructure improvements have been completed.

UTA would also commit to utilizing business equity firms for at least 15% of the total cost for all infrastructure improvements.

The City Council is expected to take formal action on this interlocal agreement at its Aug. 27 meeting.

Photo:Positioned at the intersection of I-30 and I-20 at the western gateway of Fort Worth, the new campus is expected to begin welcoming students as early as fall 2028.

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• Business & Economy
• District 3