Big check for housing in Fort Worth neighborhood – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

Local, county and federal elected leaders gathered in Fort Worth’s Stop Six neighborhood on Thursday to mark a milestone.

Congressman Marc Veasey (D- Fort Worth) presented a check for more than $4 million for Hughes House II, a 237-unit mixed-income apartment complex that will include new tree-lined streets, sidewalks and lighting, as well as an improved water and sewer system. and stormwater treatment systems.

Veasey lived in the same neighborhood as a child.

“During my life, many things have not changed. But to finally start to see major changes happening, and I think it’s amazing,” he said.

The project is named after another Stop Six resident: high school basketball coach and Hall of Famer Robert Hughes, who died last week.

City Council Member and Mayor Pro Tem Gyna Bivens represents the neighborhood and said there will be more housing coming.

“We’re going to see housing that you’ve never seen in Stage Six before. I can’t wait to see Babers Manor. I can’t wait to see housing along Ramey. I can’t wait to see the developers finally wanting to come to this community,” she said when presenting the check.

But lifelong neighbor and longtime activist Teena James said while the housing was exciting and much-loved, they were waiting for other long-overdue commodities.

“There are no healthy table service restaurants in the community,” James pointed out.

She said they also need grocery stores and sports fields to keep children busy during the summer, as well as investments in their schools and roads.

“I think it’s time to stop making us fight for things that should have already been put into the community,” James said.

That’s why James said she’s running for city council herself and calling on others to step up their efforts.

“It takes those who are owners, residents and alumni to come back and become part of your community again,” she said.

Bivens agrees that they still need more businesses and services in Stop Six and East Fort Worth.

“East Fort Worth is neglected,” she said.

She calls on her colleagues at town hall.

“My message to staff is: be just as creative with the extra dollars you find at Stop Six as you are in other parts of our city,” she said.

Bivens said she holds meetings with developers and her constituents so they know what it takes to attract businesses to the area.

She said developers told her more rooftops would attract more businesses, but now that the area has more homes, she wants to do another event with them.

“To ask: What does it take? What does it take? Because if it’s not just about the roofs now, you continue to move that line, what does it take?” Bivens said.

Bivens said they should build more housing to attract more businesses to the area.

“I really hope that’s the case!” she says.

She said she’s had discussions about possible projects coming soon to Stop Six.

“Until I see a check and a shovel in the ground, I don’t count on anything and that’s why you have to keep complaining, keep speaking loudly and keep letting people know that you are there, and we have expectations,” Bivens said.