The new 36,500 sq. ft. YMCA opened January 2019 as part of the continuing redevelopment of the Renaissance Heights community in southeast Fort Worth. The center provides access to an outdoor recreation pool, strength and cardio equipment, free weights, a state-of-the-art basketball gym, group exercise classes, discounted rates for youth sports, youth camps, after school child care, youth enrichment and leadership programs, health prevention programs, and other programs.
The $12 million development was partly funded by donors including the Sid Richardson Foundation, the Amon G. Carter Foundation, the Morris Foundation, and the Mabee Foundation. About $2.3 million from City of Fort Worth helped pay for the community pool. The project is also receiving $3 million in New Market Tax Credits, a federal program that provides tax credits to private investors who invest in business and economic development projects in areas whose individual poverty rate is at least 20 percent. The area where the YMCA is located has a 34.2 percent poverty rate and 18.4 percent unemployment rate.
Photos courtesy of Wade Griffith Photography