Fort Worth council approves street vacations and easement changes to clear way for Cook Children's expansion

The Fort Worth City Council on May 13 approved a package of right-of-way vacations and related easement adjustments to allow an expansion of the Cook Children’s medical campus, including a planned medical tower city records and presenters described as roughly 760,000 square feet.

The change was approved as part of M&C 25-0399. Justin Wells, a representative of Dunaway Associates speaking for Cook Children’s, told the council the vacations would be configured to retain public access easements "to ensure that Texas Health also will continue to have access." He said the project will "allow for the expansion of several critical care units to help provide that care for the community." The council voted to approve the item.

Why it matters: the project will increase the hospital campus footprint and was presented by the applicant as a response to rising medical needs as Fort Worth grows. Wells told the council the developer held a groundbreaking the morning of the meeting and that vacating portions of Terrell Avenue and Cooper is intended to give Cook Children’s greater flexibility for the new construction while preserving public access.

Council action and conflict-of-interest note: the council approved M&C 25-0399 by voice vote. Later in the meeting Mayor Mattie Parker publicly recused herself from a Cook Children’s item, stating she had an employment relationship with Cook Children’s; the recusal was announced on the record.

Details: Justin Wells described the specific approach to the street vacations, saying public access easements would remain so neighboring Texas Health facilities retain access from Eighth Avenue. Wells and other speakers characterized the development as a "very large expansion" intended to add critical-care capacity for the region. The council’s packet identified the item as MC25-0399; the motion passed with the notation "motion carries" in the public record.

Next steps: with council approval and a stated groundbreaking already held, project proponents indicated they would proceed with permitting and site work subject to the city’s standard development and building-review processes. The council did not set an additional public hearing date for this item during the meeting.