Stockyards redevelopment is on track and on a roll

Fort Worth has plenty of reasons to boast about the transformative change that has parlayed the city into a top destination for visitors and a great place for locals to call home. Despite the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, Fort Worth has experienced a dizzying array of new development and redevelopment, resulting in the opening of the world-class Dickies Arena and the revitalization of the Near Southside. But for all the anticipation it created and controversy it stirred before a shovel of dirt turned, it is the redevelopment of the Stockyards that stands tall as a remarkable accomplishment and a testament to the longstanding claim that Fort Worth is “where the West begins.” The horse and mule barns built in 1912 when the Stockyards became the largest livestock trading center in the Southwest have been transformed into Mule Alley, a vibrant western heritage entertainment center that is home to restaurants, bars, retail shops and its centerpiece, Hotel Drover.

And Mule Alley is just the beginning of sweeping changes planned for the Stockyards by Stockyards Heritage Development Co., a partnership between the Fort Worth-based Hickman Companies and California-based Majestic Realty Co. The development firm entered a multi-phase agreement with the city of Fort Worth to carry out development and redevelopment of the Stockyards in exchange for tax breaks of up to $26 million, beginning with the Mule Alley and Hotel Drover project in 2018. In a State of the Market presentation held at Hotel Drover on June 21, Craig Cavileer, managing partner of Stockyards Heritage Development Co. and executive president of Majestic Realty Co., said another phase of development will kick off this year just as retail and hospitality space in Mule Alley fills up. Due to come in Mule Alley are two new ventures by chef Tim Love, who recently opened Paloma Suerte, a Tex-Mex inspired restaurant. Caterina’s, an Italian eatery, is set to open soon, according to Cavileer. Later this year, a partnership between Love and global entertainment company, Live Nation, will add Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall to the mix in Mule Alley. Cavileer described the planned 24,000-square-foot venue as “something that only Tim Love and Live Nation could do.” “It will be House of Blues Stockyards style. We anticipate it will present 140 to 150 concerts a year,” he said.