Grapevine's $114 million Main Street Station district has become the official blueprint for transit-oriented development along the TEXRail line. Fort Worth City Council voted Tuesday, Aug. 11, to begin rezoning land around its North Side TEXRail station, with council members explicitly pointing to Grapevine's mix of retail, hospitality and walkability as the model to replicate.
The recognition follows nearly two decades of public investment that began when Grapevine voters approved a 1-cent sales tax in 2006 to fund TEXRail service and station-area improvements. Trinity Metro's economic analysis shows sales tax receipts for businesses within walking distance of Grapevine's station jumped 38% between 2018 and 2023, compared to 23% citywide. Property values near the station rose roughly 95% over the same period.
"Anybody who's been to Grapevine will see the beautiful Vin hotel, a mixed-use development with Harvest Hall and a food court, and entertainment events going on there just about every night of the week," Trinity Metro president and CEO Rich Andreski said in September 2025, when the agency first outlined its push to replicate the model at other stations. "They've really shown what can be."
Grapevine's 42,000-square-foot station at Main Street and Dallas Road anchors a district that includes the 150-foot Observation Tower, a food hall with seven kitchens, an entertainment venue, the 120-room Hotel Vin and a 552-space parking garage. A municipal shuttle connects TEXRail riders to Grapevine Mills, area resorts and other destinations.
What Fort Worth is doing
The rezoning targets properties along Northeast 28th Street and Decatur Avenue, plus parcels on Glendale and Brennan avenues and several nearby streets. Current zoning ranges from heavy industrial to one- and two-family residential. The new designations would allow high-intensity mixed-use, urban residential and neighborhood commercial development. Most single-family homes nearby are excluded.
The contrast with Grapevine's polished station district is stark. A scrap metal recycling business currently sits directly across from the North Side rail platform at 2829 Decatur Ave., according to Fort Worth Report.
Fort Worth Mayor Pro Tem Carlos Flores, who represents the area, said residents at two public meetings in June and July were overwhelmingly supportive. He acknowledged two property owners raised concerns about the effect on their businesses; the city is discussing options with them.
Trinity Metro board member Ben Robertson said Grapevine's success stems from partnership between community leaders and public and private investment, calling targeted rezoning "just one important piece" of a larger puzzle.
Rising ridership, expanding line
TEXRail ridership is climbing. The line recorded more than 502,885 riders through fiscal year 2026, up from 435,408 in the same period of fiscal 2025, according to KERA News. Trinity Metro hired Mike Brennan, former Near Southside Inc. president, in January as vice president of economic development to pursue transit-oriented projects at all stations.
A $71 million affordable housing complex called The Exchange Apartments is also planned near the North Side station. Fort Worth Housing Solutions and Oldham Goodwin Development would build 296 units at North Main and 29th streets as part of a 14.6-acre Stockyards North mixed-use project.
What's next
The Fort Worth Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 9. City Council could take final action on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
