Combined housing, health care development breaks ground in Fort Worth’s Near Southside

Health and political leaders stood at the Crawford Street construction site as more than 50 people attended an Oct. 23 groundbreaking ceremony for a new $21.8 million housing development focused on improving access to health care in Fort Worth. welcomed the audience.

The project, known as “Thrive on Crawford,” is a first-of-its-kind partnership between real estate developer NRP Group and JPS Health Network, a Tarrant County-funded hospital district. is.

“It’s not often that we get to enter into a groundbreaking partnership like this with a unique organization like JPS, but this is the first true health-housing partnership in Texas,” said Max Whipple, vice president of development for NRP Group. I believe that.” .

Thrive on Crawford will bring 67 mixed-use housing units to Fort Worth’s Near Southside neighborhood. The development will feature 60 units for residents who pay between $30,000 and $60,000 a year. The remaining 7 pieces are set aside match market rate For apartment units.

The development is located on Crawford Street, south of Fort Worth Women’s JPS Health Center near East Magnolia Avenue, and also includes several Near Southside Inc. properties.

JPS will lease 2,200 square feet of space on the site to provide medical services to residents and the surrounding community. JPS will pay a small amount of property management fees, but the hospital will not pay rent, Whipple previously said.

The hospital district has not yet determined what it will use the space for, but the hospital district is considering various options, JPS President and CEO Dr. Karen Duncan said earlier this month.

At the Oct. 23 ceremony, JPS Board Member Trent Petty said the hospital district would benefit from the housing development as it seeks to expand its revenue stream.

In late September, JPS leaders braced for a $14 million decrease in tax revenue in fiscal year 2025 after Tarrant County commissioners lowered the hospital district’s tax rate for the second year in a row.

“The number of patients we see at JPS requires us to think outside the box,” Petty said. “We can’t stay with the traditional government policy of, ‘It shouldn’t be the responsibility of public hospitals.’ Well, that doesn’t work. That dog doesn’t hunt anymore. We’re talking about diversifying our revenue streams.” We need to be proactive about it.”

Thrive on Crawford also offers adult literacy workshops, health screenings, financial training, and after-school and summer programs for residents. Once the units are half full, property managers will survey residents asking what other services they need, Whipple said.

State Rep. Nicole Collier, a Democrat whose district covers southeast and parts of south Fort Worth, said the development provides an opportunity to address health disparities in the 76104 ZIP code, where the development is located.

In March 2023, Tarrant County Public Health 76104 Report showing average life expectancy for postal codes The 70-year period from 2016 to 2020 was the lowest in the county. A 2019 UT Southwestern study found that ZIP codes report the lowest life expectancy in Texas.

“If you have the foresight to develop a property that provides medical services…there is no longer an excuse for not having access, because access will be given to you one day,” Collier said at the groundbreaking ceremony.

NRP Group and JPS have been working on the housing project for over four years. This development was previously known as Magnolia LoftsBut the name was changed to better reflect the street in its location, Petty said. a 2022 construction notification by Magnolia-JPS Lofts previously estimated the cost to be completed in 2023 at $10.5 million.

Near Southside President Mike Brennan previously said in a report that the region’s taxing district had approved $480,000 in funding to offset costs associated with underground utility renovations and public rights-of-way improvements for the project. spoke.

The project is currently scheduled for completion in December 2025.

JPS employees interested in housing will be notified when units become available, but fair housing lawthe hospital district cannot reserve or hold spots.

David Moreno is a health reporter for The Fort Worth Report. His position is supported by a grant from Texas Health Resources. Please contact [email protected] or @davidmreports.

At The Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independent of board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

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