FORT WORTH, Texas — A stone's throw from downtown Fort Worth sits the city's North Side neighborhood.
"There are legacy families here. We all knew one another growing up," said District 2 City Councilman Carlos Flores, who's lived here all his life. "I was born and raised here, third generation Texan."
But he'll tell you this neighborhood has long been "overlooked" by the city when it comes to basic improvements. Continuous sidewalks are one issue.
"You see some sidewalks there and then they terminate," Flores said during our interview on Lincoln Avenue near Northside Drive. "You go further, no sidewalks. You go on this side, no curbs."
And street lights? Few and far between.
But that is about to change.
Last week, Fort Worth city council secured $3 million to improve infrastructure in the neighborhood. That'll allow for new sidewalks, curbs, street lights and more. Flores believes it'll help the area's crime and poverty rates.
Miguel Ortiz has lived in this neighborhood for 25 years and says it's all about time.
"Thank God. Finally came," Ortiz said Tuesday. "It's good for the city, it's good for all of us. It’s a plus."
But not everyone has been as enthusiastic. At a meeting earlier this month, some voiced their fears that gentrification will follow.
"We're just afraid this is going to be the beginning of our end here in the neighborhood," Olga Velasquez told WFAA during that meeting.
Flores disagrees, saying simply addressing these infrastructure and safety issues won't trigger gentrification.
"Every resident in the city of Fort Worth deserves at the very least a good public infrastructure system," Flores said.
Work will begin some time in 2019. But before that happens, there will be a series of meetings and surveys so residents can weigh in on what improvements should be prioritized.