Groundbreaking, block party scheduled for Evans & Rosedale development

Groundbreaking, block party scheduled for Evans & Rosedale development

Published on November 03, 2026

It will be a long-awaited celebration that marks the beginning of a new chapter for the community.

The community is invited to a public groundbreaking ceremony for the long-awaited Evans & Rosedale mixed-use development in the Historic Southside neighborhood, followed by a block party to celebrate this important milestone in the community's history.

The event is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, starting with speakers and a shovel ceremony that will be immediately followed by lunch and an afternoon of family-friendly festivities. Speakers will include representatives from Royal Capital, the area's developer, as well as City of Fort Worth leadership and representatives from the Historic Southside Neighborhood Association.

RSVP to attend the celebration on the Evans & Rosedale webpage.

"The Evans & Rosedale Urban Village represents an exciting investment in the future of Fort Worth's Historic Southside," said District 8 Councilmember Chris Nettles. "This development honors the area's rich legacy of Black entrepreneurship and community leadership while creating new opportunities for housing, economic growth and neighborhood connection. We are building on the foundation laid by those who came before us, while creating a future that residents and generations to come can be proud of."

"We're pleased to bring Evans and Rosedale to life after decades of effort and attempts by others," said Kevin Newell, founder and CEO of Royal Capital. "Our national Lifestyle Campus model coming to Fort Worth and the Historic Southside is fitting, given the history and fabric of this neighborhood."

"Our community is looking forward to celebrating this important milestone that both honors our roots and builds our future," said Kristina Banta, president of the Historic Southside Neighborhood Association.

Building on the momentum

This event marks a period of significant momentum in the Historic Southside.

A former hub of Black commerce, the neighborhood has been home to many of Fort Worth's - and even the nation's - first Black entrepreneurs, like William Madison "Gooseneck" McDonald and Dr. Riley Andrew Ransom Sr.

More recently, the Historic Southside was selected as the location of the National Juneteenth Museum, an initiative driven by the "Grandmother of Juneteenth" and neighborhood resident, Dr. Opal Lee. This project reached a significant milestone earlier this month, when the old Southside Community Center was demolished to clear the way for the museum's construction on Dr. Lee's 100th birthday.

Royal Capital became part of the fabric of the Historic Southside in March 2024, after being announced as the Evans & Rosedale project's developer the previous year. The Milwaukee-based team quickly built a strong relationship with the community at a fireside chat and a block party visioning event, which resulted in over 100 resident responses that helped shape preliminary plans for the development.

About the project

The mixed-use Evans & Rosedale development is set to include:

• A minimum of 180 affordable residential units, including senior units, family units, stacked flats and live-work units.
• 15,700 square feet of commercial space, which will include two restaurants, a fitness center, a business center, a coffee shop and more.
  • Of this commercial space, a minimum of 3,000 square feet will be focused on a grocery concept.
• A mix of surface, garage and street parking will be created for a minimum of 283 parking spaces to accommodate traffic.
• Parks and common area green spaces.

Altogether, Royal Capital is committing $61 million toward the project, including $48 million in hard construction costs. The City of Fort Worth is providing $8.5 million in City grants and forgivable loans, including up to $7 million for public infrastructure costs through the Southside Tax Increment Finance District (TIF 4) and is also participating as a general partner in the project through the Fort Worth Housing Finance Corporation. In addition, the Fort Worth Housing Finance Corporation and the Fort Worth Local Development Corporation contributed land for the project.

Royal Capital successfully closed on those properties in mid-October, and preliminary site grading is expected to begin in early November.

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