New details revealed for 650-unit apartment complex in Fort Worth’s Near Southside

Developers have unveiled plans for the first phase of a 650-unit apartment complex in Fort Worth’s Near Southside.

Dallas-based property management firm Ojala Holdings submitted early mock-ups of “The Bonnie” to city officials on July 1. If brought to fruition, the four-story, 5.3-acre development would replace Siddons Place, a 26-year-old affordable housing community boxed in by Pennsylvania Avenue, South Jennings Street and West Peter Smith Street.

Ojala and Fort Worth Housing Solutions, the city’s public housing authority, tout the roughly $150 million project as one of Cowtown’s most ambitious and potentially expansive housing initiatives in recent memory.

“We had the opportunity to rethink this property and be able to add density to an area that so desperately needs affordable housing, so it was really a no-brainer for us,” said Mary-Margaret Lemons, Fort Worth Housing Solution’s president. “In a city that’s growing at the pace that it is, and has such a lack of affordable housing, we just really think this is the right thing at the right time.”

Just over half of the Bonnie’s units will likely be set aside for households making between 30 percent to 80 percent of Fort Worth’s median income, according to Lemons and Ojala executives. The remaining apartments would be leased at market rates. This arrangement would, on paper, more than double the number of affordable residences provided by Siddons.

“The total number of affordable units will far exceed what exists today, but again, the mix and final unit counts remains a work in progress,” Ojala partner Matthew Vruggink told the Star-Telegram.

Siddons itself was a landmark project. It welcomed its first residents in 1998, becoming the first major multifamily complex to sprout up in the neighborhood since the 1960s.

Ojala expects to break ground on the first portion of the development in early 2026. Phase 1 of The Bonnie will have 364 predominantly one-bedroom apartments averaging 734 square feet, according to planning documents; the developers also promise a pool, fitness center and shared workspace, among other amenities.

Construction on the southern half of the property will tentatively kick off in late 2027 or early 2028. Every Siddons household would be able to relocate to The Bonnie if they so chose, Lemons said. The staggered schedule would, in theory, allow existing residents to stay in their homes until new apartments are ready for move-in.

“There’s multiple properties within our portfolio that we can offer as relocation options for our residents if they want to stay in the Near Southside or the greater downtown area,” Lemons added. “We’ll work with each individual family, because everybody’s different and has different needs.”

Fort Worth Housing Solutions plans to begin briefing Siddons residents on the renovation later this summer.

“We’ll have resident meetings and information sessions to alert them and let them know the timeline, what we’re looking at, how it’ll coincide with their leases, what we can do to make it easier on them,” Lemons said.

In the meantime, Lemons and her team have to clear the new property’s design and layout with the city — and secure the support of nearby property owners and power brokers.

“More often than not, Near Southside has been an ally,” Lemons said.

Lemons and her team have already held extensive discussions with business leaders. City Council member Elizabeth Beck, who represents the neighborhood, is supportive of the project, Lemons said. (Beck could not be reached immediately for comment Wednesday.)

“All of the stakeholders in and around us are very much excited to see an old three-story building get redeveloped,” said Daniel Smith, Ojala’s managing director.

Some snags have surfaced. Some Near Southsiders, Lemons and Smith say, want to reopen a long-dormant stretch of road that slices through the eastern section of The Bonnie. They tried to find some way to accommodate vehicle traffic without busting the project’s budget but couldn’t.

However, the development team agreed to “provide pedestrian connectivity around our site in the form of a public access easement,” Smith said.

“We’re still in conversations to try to decide what’s the best way to proceed with the neighborhood and the stakeholders and the councilwoman,” Lemons said. “We want to be part of the community and a good neighbor.”