The vision for Fort Worth’s future Panther Island development is evolving, based on a consultant firm’s new report that describes the massive project as a “once-in-a-generation city-building opportunity.”

The $1.1 billion public investment to mitigate Trinity River flooding by building new channels will open up more than 5 miles of shoreline and 200 acres for development just north of downtown. As originally conceived, Panther Island’s development would be focused on dense residential buildings with some commercial.

That should be reconsidered, the consultants find, as Fort Worth has seen tremendous growth, market changes and shifts in priorities for the city center since the project’s germination decades ago.

“Fort Worth is growing rapidly, with population surging 24% between 2010 and 2020, and is now the fastest growing large city in the U.S.,” the report says. “Panther Island is crucial to the region’s economic development. The scale and location can help capture and fuel long-term residential and employment growth.”

In January, the city of Fort Worth hired the consulting firm, HR&A Advisors, to serve as project manager and help coordinate the vision for future land use and economic development of Panther Island. The firm’s new report stresses the need for a unified development strategy for the more than 500 acres of public and privately owned land, as well as the need to avoid displacing surrounding communities such as the historic North Side.

Planners are moving away from the residential-focused original plans and instead envision a district with both residential and a vibrant entertainment hub, outdoor recreation and the potential to attract companies and talent to the city, HR&A’s report said.

Mixed use development usually includes a mix of residential units and anything from office space to restaurants to retail, Andrea Duffie, spokesperson with the city’s economic development department, said Thursday. For the Panther Island project, the intention is to create a “flexible space” where people can “live, work and play,” she said, but what that mixed use development is going to include beyond residential space has yet to be decided.

The district should be pedestrian-friendly and accessible through several different methods of transportation given the mix of large- and small-scale projects that could occur. The report said the district should be connected through “a walkable, interconnected open space network” for this reason.

The consultants say the district should have a recognizable and distinct identity while also complementing the adjacent downtown and connecting seamlessly with surrounding neighborhoods. Panther Island also contains multiple historic sites that could be uniquely redeveloped.