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Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas, Mitchell Schnurman Column: Only Thing to Fear is Fear of Failure

Posted on: Sunday, 9 April 2006, 09:00 CDT

By Mitchell Schnurman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas

Apr. 9--How can Fort Worth not dare to reach for something great?

To alter the course of a river, to try to turn a virtual wasteland into a teeming waterfront, to change the character of its city.

This is the way to think about Trinity Uptown, the $435 million public works project that's been six years in the making -- and now faces a referendum in the form of a water board election.

The big money has yet to be spent on the project, but it's already passed several milestones. It has won approval from Congress, the leaders of Fort Worth, and voters, who passed a small bond issue for it in 2004.

But it's facing an invigorated challenge from local opponents, including companies that would be displaced, and they believe that government shouldn't get into the economic-development business.

That argument doesn't break new ground in the centuries-old debate over eminent domain and private-property rights.

But they also think government can't pull off the ambitious deal, which is a lot more troubling. They point to a string of city-led projects that went south and others that haven't delivered as promised.

I look at Fort Worth's record on economic development and see a near-miracle, even if the Mercado, the Rail Market and a few others were busts.

We won't know Trinity Uptown's outcome for years, but if it's a failure, it won't be an orphan. Ten government agencies have thrown in their support, a score of elected officials have championed it, and two respected architectural firms are almost married to the project.

Tarrant County College is also betting its expensive downtown campus on it. RadioShack, Pier 1 Imports and developer Tom Struhs have invested more than $300 million along the river, banking on uptown's success.

There's considerable comfort in knowing that so many people and institutions are putting their reputations -- and money -- on the line.

Of course, Trinity Uptown could still be overwhelmed by circumstance -- by cost overruns, environmental hazards or federal budget cuts. And some problems might not surface until we've reached the point where the project is too big to fail.

That's not reason enough to turn tail now, to be scared off by the fear of failure.

This project carries a lot of risk, to be sure. But how about the potential reward, which is nothing less than to remake the city's downtown and its future?

"I don't know if there will ever be an opportunity like this again," says G.K. Maenius, the Tarrant County administrator.

Trinity Uptown would update flood controls and turn the near north side into an urban oasis, surrounded by wide channels, a town lake and fingerlike canals. More than 10,000 housing units are projected to be built on 800 acres between the central business district and the Stockyards.

Trinity Uptown would practically double the size of downtown, and its property tax base is projected to grow from $129 million to $1.3 billion in 40 years.

The idea is far beyond any typical flood control or urban redevelopment. The plan essentially creates a waterfront infrastructure certain to attract developers, businesses and residents to an area that been stagnant for years.

Land prices are already climbing on the prospects.

The financing plan is almost as novel, with four local sources coming up with half the money and an assortment of federal, state and regional agencies covering the rest.

It's a lot easier to put the touch on Uncle Sam when you're footing half the bill. And as one source after another became an investor, their buy-in created momentum and added bench strength.

We're more than a little bit pregnant on this deal, but it's being revisited all the same. That's OK, because it always good to hear from the people.

Next month, Tarrant County residents in most of Fort Worth and a few small cities to the west will choose two board members for the Tarrant Regional Water District, an agency that's been a driver in the Trinity project.

Thirteen candidates are vying for the two seats, including a pair of former Fort Worth city councilmen, Jim Lane and Clyde Picht.

It's the biggest slate of candidates for the water board since 1970, a sign that the election is serving as a referendum on the broader Trinity strategy.

Lane represents one camp, an avid supporter who has always pushed the cause. Picht, a frequent critic of tax abatements, is arguing that government shouldn't step into the role of economic kingmaker.

The water district board has backed the Trinity project unanimously in the past, and it's already committed %$64 million to it. So even if Picht and one of his brethren are elected, there's no threat of shutting it down.

But they would bring a new level of scrutiny, and their election would reflect serious skepticism among the public at large.

The project, expected to take more than a decade to complete, would probably move at a slower pace, as advocates would be forced to again make their case.

But if Lane and a like-thinking candidate win by a large margin, that could be interpreted as a vote of confidence. And the push can accelerate.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is expected to soon sign a document that will allow construction to begin on bridges and roads in Trinity Uptown.

Some residents have suggested that the entire project be put to a vote, which sounds reasonable, considering its size.

But Fort Worth will be directly contributing only about $26 million to the deal, and those bonds will require more elections.

The money raised by the area's special taxing district, which will cover a large chunk of the local contribution, isn't subject to public approval. City leaders establish so-called TIFs all the time.

As for Congress, are we supposed to ask voters whether they want to hit up the feds? If our representatives can sell the deal in Washington, a tip of the hat to them.

It isn't like the public has been shut out of the process. More than 200 presentations and public meetings have been held in recent years, and support seems strong.

As for the water district's big cash contribution, credit the Barnett Shale. Royalties from natural gas make that possible, and the money isn't allowed to be used for fixing potholes or helping needy children.

Clearly, this plan goes way beyond the bare minimum, and there's always danger when government overreaches. At least in this case, the potential upside justifies it.

You also can't argue that the river would be remade without government.

Would businesses eventually invest in uptown without the waterways? LaGrave Field is the only major facility built in the vicinity in more than 20 years.

Don Woodard, a longtime Fort Worth resident and businessman, doesn't want companies to be displaced and fears the costs will get out of control.

Let a major benefactor step forward and lead the development, he says: a Ross Perot Jr., Bob Bass or Bob Simpson.

That's wishful thinking. This is too big and too risky for a single individual, a far cry from the green fields that became the Alliance Corridor and Las Colinas.

Woodard also has a sentimental tug. He loves to look out his office window at the convergence of the Clear and West forks of the Trinity, and recall their place in the city's history.

"I love Fort Worth just the way it is," he says.

That's a common sentiment, and it gets to the heart of the matter: Trinity Uptown is all about what Fort Worth could be.

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

Why Trinity Uptown offers something for the rest of us. Check out The Schnurmanator at www.star-telegram.com, under blogs.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas

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Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, Texas)

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