pivot that began transforming perceptions and attracting the kind of development that had long eluded the community. “We set out to make ourselves more competitive, more attractive,” Rex Phelps, City Manager explains. The approach required more than cosmetic fixes. City officials focused on infrastructure improvements, particularly along the Northeast Loop 820 corridor, installing utilities and constructing landscaped frontage roads that signaled serious intent to developers. Robert Briggs, director of economic development, notes the city worked to “diversify economic makeup” beyond its historical reliance on manufacturing. The strategy was straightforward: broadening the tax base through retail and mixeduse development, reducing dependence on property taxes that had long burdened residents. The momentum has become self-reinforcing. With $155 million in new construction and capital improvements recorded in a recent year, and sales tax revenue growing 4.4% year-over-year, Haltom City now ranks in the top 100 of Texas’s 1,221 cities for sales tax generation. Mayor Dr.An Truong frames the transformation simply: “This is a true comeback, a true revitalization.” The progress follows years of disciplined execution, but city leaders acknowledge the work remains ongoing as they position Haltom City to compete with neighboring Northeast Tarrant County municipalities. LOCATION, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION Haltom City’s geographic position offers advantages that city leaders have worked methodically to exploit. The city is located at the intersection of major transportation corridors including Hwy 377, NE Loop I-820 and Hwy 121, with DFW International Airport just 20 miles away. “We’re centrally located between Dallas and Fort Worth, and we’re right off several major highways,” Briggs says.“We have great access to the airport; we have great access to the Alliance corridor.” The Alliance corridor reference points to the industrial powerhouse anchored by Fort Worth Alliance Airport, billed as the world’s first purely industrial airport. Beyond highways, Haltom City participates in 35 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 07, ISSUE 01 HALTOM CITY, TX
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