New details revealed for TCU’s proposed West Berry Street development

TCU is proposing to build three mixed-use buildings on West Berry Street near South University Drive that would provide potentially hundreds of apartments for upperclassmen along with multiple retail spaces.

The university filed records with the city on Monday that detail some of its first steps for transformative redevelopment along the West Berry corridor.

TCU’s proposed mixed-use buildings would be six and seven stories tall, spanning two existing city blocks between University Drive and Greene Avenue. Plans show the buildings would have parking garages with retail space on the first floor and multi-family housing on upper floors. The seven-story building would be 92 feet tall.

One building could have a rooftop pool and community center. A proposed six-story structure built right behind the University Drive storefronts would house a student center, retail space and multi-family housing.

An additional two story building for retail, located next to the TCU Campus Store, would also be added if plans move forward.

The records filed with the city say the apartments would be “geared towards TCU juniors and seniors.” The designs of the buildings aim connect them with University Drive and West Berry with landscaped passageways for students on foot.

The filings with the city’s Urban Design Commission are part of TCU’s request to reconfigure the parcels on the land it owns and develop over what’s now part Cockrell Avenue and an alley.

The new development would neighbor the existing GrandMarc at Westberry Place Apartments and could add significantly more beds to TCU’s strained housing stock. Enrollment growth over the past few years has left some students struggling to find housing .

Development near the corner of University Avenue and West Berry Street is only the first step in the university’s plans for the area. Part of its vision for future development of the campus, TCU hopes to develop multiple blocks along West Berry Street into a Fort Worth destination.

The university has hired Austin-based developer Endeavor to help explore ideas for the mixed-use development and ways to improve pedestrian access.

Jason Soileau, assistant vice chancellor for planning, design and construction at TCU, told the Star-Telegram last week that improving the student experience on West Berry is a priority.

“We are interested in exploring a multi-use development along Berry Street that would leverage Berry Street as being Fort Worth’s new destination place.”

Improvements to West Berry are part of TCU’s campus master plan, an initiative started in 2022 aiming to guide the university’s vision for future campus development. Approved in concept by TCU’s board of trustees earlier this spring, it’s unclear when the plan could be released to the public.

Soileau said the plan has the potential to double TCU’s square footage and housing inventory.

West Berry Street isn’t the only part of the campus that could see new housing. Earlier this month, TCU filed applications to conduct drainage studies for additional housing and a parking lot on the east side of the campus.

A dining hall and two dorms on the eastern side of the campus, expected to house 292 students, are under construction. The project is likely to be finished in January.

Almost 10,900 undergraduate students were enrolled at TCU for the fall 2023 semester — almost 48 percent of whom lived on campus.