Welcome to ‘The Opal’: New luxury, mixed-income community to be named after ‘Grandmother of Juneteenth’

FORT WORTH, Texas — A new development coming to Fort Worth will be named after one of the city’s most notable figures.

Fort Worth’s public housing authority, Fort Worth Housing Solutions, announced in June 2022 that it finalized a deal with AMTEX on a 339-unit luxury, mixed-income community off Westport Parkway and what will become far North Beach Street.

The 19-acre development will be called “The Opal,” and ode to Opal Lee, the 94-year-old retired educator and community leader who led a national awareness campaign to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.

Lee is also known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth.” She was a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 and has honored with a portrait from the Texas Senate in February.

The Opal will be the sixth property developed by FWHS and AMTEX, officials said in a release. 

“We are thrilled to be able to recognize a woman who has become a national icon in the Juneteenth movement by naming a beautiful new community in honor of Opal Lee,” FWHS President Mary-Margaret Lemons said. 

“Ms. Opal has always advocated for opportunity, and residents who choose to make The Opal their home will love the access this community has to job centers, great schools and the thriving Alliance Airport area.”

The Opal will be a sister property to The Holston, a resort-style community of 265 units that opened in December 2022. Similar to The Holston, The Opal will offer one-, two- and three-bedroom units to individuals and families who live and work in Alliance Corridor.

Here’s a look at the renderings: 

Officials said half of the units will be offered at market rate, and the other half will be available to households earning 80% or less of the Area Median Income (AMI). The Opal will reserve 5% of the units for households earning 50% or less of AMI.

Construction started in November 2022 and leasing is scheduled to begin in 2023, officials said.