Mayor Mattie Parker, City of Fort Worth | City of Fort Worth website
Mayor Mattie Parker, City of Fort Worth | City of Fort Worth website
Royal Capital and the City of Fort Worth recently hosted a fireside chat at the Shamblee Library, inviting residents and business owners from the Historic Southside community. The event aimed to introduce the new Milwaukee-based developers for the Evans & Rosedale project and facilitate direct engagement between them and local stakeholders.
More than 120 attendees enjoyed Smoke-a-holics BBQ before participating in the discussion moderated by Lorraine Miller of the Historic Southside Neighborhood Association. Opening remarks were given by Councilmember Chris Nettles of District 8 and City of Fort Worth Director of Economic Development Robert Sturns.
Jan Higgins, historian for the Historic Southside and board member of the Lenora Rolla Heritage Center Museum, highlighted the area's history of African American business leaders such as William Madison “Gooseneck” McDonald and Dr. Riley Andrew Ransom Sr.
Miller then interviewed Royal Capital CEO Kevin Newell about his background in real estate and finance, his experience with the national search for a new developer for Evans & Rosedale, and his company's work on similar projects.
The session included a public Q&A with Royal Capital team members Terrell Walter (Planning & Development) and Brian Mays (Finance & Capital Markets). They addressed questions regarding issues like homelessness, construction opportunities for minority contractors, higher taxes, and potential displacement.
“Fort Worth is a very warm community,” Newell said. “We’ve always found treasure in the idea that when you walk into a community where folks have an opinion, their opinion may be tough on you – but I would rather have that than a community of folks who don’t care and who don’t show up."
Newell added, "And when I look at my team and where we’re dedicating our time, we always want to go to communities who want to help themselves.”
A full recording of the fireside chat is available on the City of Fort Worth’s YouTube page. Stakeholders are encouraged to visit EvansAndRosedale.com and follow project updates on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
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