North Texas is amid an ongoing population boom. As construction companies are building more houses and places to work, they’re adding to the recreational opportunities as well.

The DFW Metroplex has a lot of professional sports teams and a few amusement parks. But what the area is lacking is the traditional beach experience, since there are few natural bodies of water. Residents now have something new to look forward to: a former Fort Worth quarry is being redeveloped to become an entertainment destination, according to the Star-Telegram. 

A Beach, Rides, Condos, and More on the Way

Rendering courtesy of Renaissance Development

The developer, Renaissance Development, found a new use for the former limestone mining pit, which is located in North Fort Worth near Saginaw, just north of Loop 820. A mining pit digs up the land and can make it difficult to redevelop for different purposes. The site closed in the 1970s, although the land surrounding it is now in use as a housing development. The new project, called Quarry Falls, will bring entertainment options to this fast-growing corner of Tarrant County. 

Quarry Falls will include a music venue that can seat up to 3,500 people, water rides, a beach, a Ferris wheel, and hotels and restaurants. Developers estimate that the music venue, similar in size to Dallas’ House of Blues, will be used for nationally touring musical acts about two days per week. It will be used to host business events on the remaining days. 

The project will also bring condominium development along the beach planned for the site. Residents of condos and apartments will have immediate access to the entertainment complex. Similar to NRH20, the water park in North Richland Hills, the developer hopes to obtain discounts for residents of the surrounding area for admission to the entertainment events at Quarry Falls.

The former mining pit is located along Old Decatur Road, which was already slated to be widened from a two-lane road to a four-lane road. Traffic in the area has dramatically increased in recent years due to retail and residential developments in the Saginaw and Alliance areas. 

Kathy Hamilton — president of the Trailwood Estates Neighborhood Association, which represents hundreds of homes north of the Quarry Falls project — attended recent meetings about the development. Despite initial concerns about increased traffic in the area, Hamilton came away from the meeting with those objections alleviated, according to the Star-Telegram report. 

The Quarry Falls project is the latest example of redevelopment on the site of former limestone quarries. Most former quarries lie abandoned for decades, representing potential land that is not generally used for other purposes. In addition to Quarry Falls, other former quarries have been redeveloped for recreational use in Lexington, Kentucky and for business use in Kansas City, Missouri. 

Renaissance Development still needs to obtain rezoning permits for the project. However, they do not expect to face significant opposition or obstacles in the process. The developer predicts that construction could begin as early as later this year. The estimated completion time is three to four years.

Renaissance Development previously worked on the redevelopment of Fort Worth’s T & P Station for the Trinity Railway Express.