Hey Westoplexians,

This week the westside's growth showed up everywhere it always does - in a $25 million rail grant, a housing report that finally says the quiet part out loud, and yes, your water bill. But growth cuts both ways around here, and this week it also showed up as a Trader Joe's finally landing on the north side, a street full of vintage cars downtown, and a Bearcat trophy case that just got a little more crowded. Growing pains and good times, side by side - that's the Westoplex this week.

Here's what caught my eye this week.

- josh

The U.S. Department of Transportation handed Trinity Metro a $25 million federal grant this week to push TEXRail into Fort Worth's Near Southside - the dense, walkable stretch south of downtown near Baylor Scott & White All Saints. The new stop would extend the line 2.1 miles, and the whole project runs about $167 million, which still leaves Trinity Metro $15 to $20 million short of fully funded.

That's not pocket change. That's a second, smaller infrastructure project's worth of money still sitting on the table.

Near Southside residents have wanted this stop for a while now - the pitch is trails, walkability, a reason to leave the car parked for a coffee run. I'll say what I always say about transit-adjacent neighborhoods: they're the ones that can quietly outperform on the resale sheet five years down the road. Maybe this is the year the funding gap finally closes.

🚆 Source: Yahoo News

The city put out an update this week on its affordability push, and the honest version is: some wins, still a long way to go. Fort Worth's rents have climbed nearly 23% since 2020, and in neighborhoods like Stop Six and Poly, home values have close to tripled in seven years. The city's leaning on land banks, community land trusts, and rehab funding to slow it down - real tools, not just talk.

But the report's own math gives away the real story: Fort Worth is adding jobs faster than it's adding homes. That gap doesn't close itself.

Here's where I land - none of this is unique to us, and none of it reverses on its own. If you've been on the fence about buying somewhere in the Westoplex, "prices trend one direction from here" isn't a sales pitch. It's just what the report says.

Caveat though, there is TONS of inventory in Crowley around the Chisholm Trail Ranch area - which is just south of Fort Worth.

🏠 Source: Fort Worth Report

Fort Worth's Water Department released its proposed FY2027 budget this month - $732.7 million, up nearly 8.7% from this year - and it comes with a 3.6% rate increase on water and 2.85% on wastewater. The driver is the same one behind half this newsletter: growth. More rooftops means more pipes, more treatment capacity, and more money to build all of it before the system falls behind.

This isn't a one-year blip, either. Anyway, the pattern holds - Tarrant County water rates have climbed nearly every year for over a decade to keep pace with a region adding tens of thousands of new residents annually.

Nobody loves a rate hike showing up in the mailbox. But I'd rather see the pipes built ahead of the growth than watch us scramble during the next drought.

💧 Source: City of Fort Worth Water Department

The cult grocery chain announced plans this week for a new North Texas location landing right here in north Fort Worth - in Presidio Junction, across from Target and Costco, just down from a Portillo's, in one of the busiest new retail corridors on this side of town.

For a chain that inspires actual road trips from its fans, having one land five minutes from home instead of forty is a genuinely big deal.

I don't usually get excited about a grocery store opening. This one's the exception. If you've been driving to the Hulen store for your favorite snacks, your Saturday just got shorter.

🛒 Source: CultureMap Fort Worth

Sundance Square's fourth annual Cars and Culture Show hits downtown Saturday, September 19, from noon to 11 p.m., celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with a full day of classic and custom cars parked right in the heart of the city.

It's a simple idea done well - close off a block, fill it with cars people are proud of, and let a neighborhood show up as itself for a day. That's the kind of event that doesn't need much explaining.

If you're downtown this weekend, it's worth the walk-by even if cars aren't usually your thing.

🚗 Source: The Collegian, TCC

The Texas High School Athletic Directors Association handed Aledo ISD its first-ever THSADA Class 5A Texas Cup this week, honoring the district's overall athletic performance across the 2025-26 sports seasons.

First-ever means exactly that - no district has won this one before, and Aledo's is the name on it.

That's a good note to end the week on. Growth brings growing pains, but it also brings this - a hometown program getting recognized for doing it right.

🏆 Source: The Community News

Texas clay soil doesn't play nice with a dry summer - when the ground around your foundation dries out and shrinks, that's when you start seeing cracks. A soaker hose running 15-20 minutes a few times a week around the perimeter (not right up against the slab) helps keep soil moisture consistent through August's heat. It's a lot cheaper than a foundation repair bill, and easier than most home maintenance you'll do all year.

Fun fact for the week: is home to the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing Western Currency Facility, which prints roughly 60% of all U.S. paper money.

That's the week in Fort Worth. As always, if you have questions about the market, want a free home value estimate, or just want to know what's happening in your neighborhood - I'm one reply away.

See you next week,

Josh Harville
Real Estate Professional | Fathom Realty, LLC | SA-0682306 Westoplex Region: Fort Worth · Aledo · Weatherford · Benbrook & surrounding communities
📞 817-917-8923
✉️ [email protected]
🌐 http://joshuaharville.fathomrealty.com/
Instagram: @Westoplex_Harville
Facebook: Josh Harville - Realtor - Fathom Realty

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