Chat brings Royal Capital, residents together over Evans & Rosedale

Published on October 01, 2024

Royal Capital and the City of Fort Worth recently invited residents and business owners in the Historic Southside community to the Shamblee Library for a fireside chat.

The event was an opportunity for residents to get to know the new Milwaukee-based developers for the Evans & Rosedale project – and for the developers to engage directly with the neighborhood and its stakeholders.

What happened: More than 120 people enjoyed Smoke-a-holics BBQ before gathering in the library for the conversation, which was moderated by Lorraine Miller of the Historic Southside Neighborhood Association. The discussion kicked off with opening remarks from Councilmember Chris Nettles of District 8 and City of Fort Worth Director of Economic Development Robert Sturns.

Jan Higgins, historian for the Historic Southside and board member of the Lenora Rolla Heritage Center Museum, spoke about the area’s long history of African American business leaders like William Madison “Gooseneck” McDonald and Dr. Riley Andrew Ransom Sr.

Then Miller spoke with Royal Capital CEO Kevin Newell to learn more about his background in real estate and finance, his experience going through the national search for a new developer for Evans & Rosedale, and his company’s previous experience working on similar projects.

Go deeper: The conversation continued with a short public Q&A, featuring additional members of the Royal Capital team – Terrell Walter, Planning & Development, and Brian Mays, Finance & Capital Markets. The Royal Capital panelists answered several audience questions focused on the nearby unhoused population, construction opportunities for minority contractors, and addressing concerns about higher taxes and potential displacement.

What they’re saying: “Fort Worth is a very warm community,” Newell said. “We’ve always found treasure in the idea that when you walk into a community where folks have an opinion, their opinion may be tough on you – but I would rather have that than a community of folks who don’t care and who don’t show up.

“And when I look at my team and where we’re dedicating our time, we always want to go to communities who want to help themselves.”

Stay connected: A full recording of the fireside chat is available to watch on the City of Fort Worth’s YouTube page:

Additionally, project stakeholders are encouraged to visit the new EvansAndRosedale.com website and follow the Evans & Rosedale project on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to keep up to date with project news and future events.

City of Fort Worth | Evans & Rosedale Fireside Chat, September 25, 2024

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