JD Granger, head of the Panther Island project, is stepping down to start his own company

JD Granger, the man who has been at the helm of many of Fort Worth’s efforts to become a more river-focused city, announced Friday he is stepping down.

JD Granger, son of U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, has been the executive director of the Trinity River Vision Authority for the past 16 years and the head of the Panther Island project. JD Granger is moving on to create a consulting company called JD Granger Group LLC, according to a statement he posted on his Facebook page, screenshots of which were shared with the Star-Telegram.

Dan Buhman, general manager of the Tarrant Regional Water District, said in an emailed statement that Granger’s work with the TRWD “has forever changed the perception of our river.”

“We are grateful for JD’s passion and numerous contributions toward creating a new vision on the Trinity River. During his 16 years at TRWD, he worked tirelessly on the Central City/Panther Island flood control project to assure the Trinity River was a clean, inviting place to live, work and play,” Buhman said in the statement.

Buhman told the Star-Telegram the water district will have a better idea early next week of what comes next with Granger’s announcement.

Granger did not immediately return a call from the Star-Telegram seeking comment.

Granger’s most notable work has been on Panther Island, a planned development and flood control project on the Trinity River in Fort Worth.

Just north of downtown and south of the Stockyards, Panther Island has been a pie in the sky for decades — a river-walk dream that never quite seemed destined to secure enough funding to break ground. But now, with federal money en route, that could change.

As envisioned, the project would involve the digging of a new, 1.5-mile river channel to connect a U-shaped section of the Trinity River north of downtown Fort Worth. The new channel would create two man-made islands that are collectively referred to as “Panther Island.” Construction crews would also dig a network of smaller channels within Panther Island to create more waterfront property.

According to water district documents, Granger is paid about $242,000 a year for his role as the executive director of the Panther Island/Central City project.

In July 2021, an agreement regarding Granger’s paid time off came under scrutiny.

Days before leaving office, and two months after he directed a paid-leave exception for the outgoing general manager, the Tarrant Regional Water District’s former board president made a similar arrangement for Panther Island executive JD Granger.

Former board president Jack Stevens had directed a paid-leave arrangement for outgoing general manager Jim Oliver, which would have amounted to a payout of more than $300,000. But documents obtained by the Star-Telegram at that time showed that Stevens also wrote at least one additional arrangement for Granger.

The agreement created an exemption allowing Granger to bank 1,560 hours of paid time off, 520 beyond the maximum outlined in the district’s policy.

At his hourly rate, that would have entitled Granger to more than $60,000 in extra paid time off.

The Tarrant Regional Water District board in July 2021 voted unanimously to reject that agreement.

Staff writer Emily Brindley contributed to this report.

This story was originally published April 22, 2022 7:20 PM.