YOUR VISION AND DREAMS ARE ESSENTIAL!

We hope you will be a part of Envision Hemphill, a multi-day, community-led visioning workshop scheduled for December 7th-10th at the Fire Station Community Center

We strongly encourage you, your families, and your neighbors to participate and help shape the next two key components of the Near Southside’s ongoing renaissance: A reconfigured Hemphill Street between Vickery and Biddison, and a major expansion of Fire Station Park at 1616 Hemphill.
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Where will Envision Hemphill take place?

All public events will take place or convene at Fire Station Community Center, 1601 Lipscomb Street, with the exeception of Friday’s LQC Pizza Party at HopFusion Ale Works.
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SCHEDULE

Opening presentation on
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7TH
5:30-7:00pm: PUBLIC WORKSHOP RETHINKING HEMPHILL: Placemaking Possibilities for the Future Intro to placemaking, visioning workshop, state of the art bike infrastructure
Location: Fire Station Community Center 1601 Lipscomb Street, Fort Worth, TX 76104

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8TH
9:30-11:30am PUBLIC WORKSHOP WALK & RIDE AUDIT OF HEMPHILL STREET
Location: Fire Station Community Center 1601 Lipscomb Street, Fort Worth, TX 76104

11:30-12:30pm PUBLIC WORKSHOP HEMPHILL OBSERVATIONS & CONVERSATION: Let’s talk over lunch
Location: Fire Station Community Center 1601 Lipscomb Street, Fort Worth, TX 76104

5:30-7:30pm PUBLIC WORKSHOP THE STREET TAKES SHAPE: Presenting the preliminary Hemphill plans shaped by consultant research and community feedback
Location: Fire Station Community Center 1601 Lipscomb Street, Fort Worth, TX 76104

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9TH
5:30-7:30pm PUBLIC WORKSHOP LIGHTER, QUICKER, CHEAPER ORIENTATION & PIZZA PARTY Learn how simple efforts can transform Hemphill street and park.
Location: HopFusion Ale Works, 200 E. Broadway Avenue, Fort Worth, Texas 76104

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10TH
PUBLIC WORKSHOP CREATING HEMPHILL PARK Share your dreams and expectations for our new community park in a community workshop and park party to follow

10:00am-12:00pm Visioning Workshop for Hemphill Park
• Learn about park design opportunities and best practices
• Cast your vote for your favorite design features
(splash pad, skate park, bike ramps, walking path, etc.)
• Children strongly encouraged to participate!
• Lend a helping hand during our LQC temporary park improvements.
Location: Fire Station Community Center 1601 Lipscomb Street, Fort Worth, TX 76104

12:00pm-4:00pm Hemphill “LQC-Baby” Park Party – ALL HANDS ON DECK
• Food Trucks
• Holiday Vendors
• Live Music
• Kids Activities
• Share your ideas for the future of Hemphill Park
Location: Hemphill Park 1616 Hemphill Street, Fort Worth, TX 76104
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What specifically will be the focus of Envision Hemphill?

This important workshop will directly influence the design and function of:

Hemphill Street between Vickery and Biddison — Our interactive survey at ArtsGoggle generated hundreds of responses showing strong support for protected bike lanes, safe crosswalks, on-street parking for retail, and other street design elements. Virtually all respondents agreed that the current configuration is not working well, with Hemphill being unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists and failing to promote new business activity and mixed-use development. We hope you’ll share ideas on how to improve the street.

Expansion of Fire Station Park at 1616 Hemphill — The same ArtsGoggle survey generated enthusiastic support for elements that could be included into the design and programming for the currently vacant parcel at Hemphill and Maddox that would add over an acre to the existing Fire Station Park. Among those elements receiving the strongest support: Skate park, dog park, flexible spaces for farmers markets and public events, splash pad, interactive features for all ages, and well-shaded areas for relaxation. Your ideas at the workshop will directly influence the ultimate design and programming of the park.

Who are the partners behind Envision Hemphill?

A strong coalition of community groups have been working together for over two decades to promote improvements along Hemphill and throughout the Southside. The Hemphill Corridor Task Force, Near Southside, Inc., Historic Fairmount Neighborhood Association, I-CARE, Tax Increment Finance District #4, and the City of Fort Worth are the primary workshop partners, with additional support from LegacyTexas.

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Who are the experts leading the sessions?

Project for Public Spaces is the international leader in creating vibrant parks and plazas that serve as treasured hubs of community life. PPS also leads a paradigm-shifting “streets as places” initiative aimed at creating streets that not only provide vehicular circulation, but function just as well for people riding bicycles, walking to school, shopping at local stores, or catching the bus.

HDR Engineering is the highly qualified multi-disciplinary firm that led the recently adopted update to the City of Fort Worth’s Master Thoroughfare Plan (MTP). The updated MTP created a new set of street types that allow for the type of “complete street” design approach contemplated for Hemphill. HDR’s familiarity with the MTP and leadership in promoting a new approach to street design made them an ideal match to oversee traffic engineering efforts for Hemphill.

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Will street changes happen soon?

Yes! While Envision Hemphill should ultimately lead to a long-term vision plan for the street, the workshop’s most immediate impact will be a re-striping plan that the City will implement as part of a resurfacing project scheduled for early 2017. Don’t miss the presentation and discussion on Thursday evening, December 8th that focuses on these short-term and long-term street design options.

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Will park improvements happen soon?

Not as quickly as the street re-striping, but yes! There will be additional design steps required between the workshop and the start of any construction, but the City has already allocated funding for the park’s final design and a first phase of improvements. The conceptual plan and programming recommendations that come out of the workshop should directly shape those initial improvements and any future phases.

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QUESTIONS?
Mike Brennan, mike@nearsouthsidefw.org
Near Southside, Inc. Planning Director

Megan Henderson, megan@nearsouthsidefw.org
Near Southside, Inc. Director of Events & Communications