Fort Worth’s Como cheered when a car wash came down. After tragedy, what happens next?

When the vacant car wash at the corner of Horne Street and Diaz Avenue in Fort Worth’s historic Como neighborhood reached its final day, it was an occasion deemed worthy of a block party.

It encompassed the joy and celebration Como has always been well known for.

A DJ blasted music. People sat curbside and drank beer. There were cheers. Lots of cheers.

And brick by brick, what had long been a trouble maker for the community west of downtown came down.

Since the car wash closed in the 1980s, it merely existed as a point of reference.

It was also a place where those experiencing homelessness came to camp, or those with bad intentions came to the community to commit crimes.

But nearly two years later, little has been done to the lot despite plans for redevelopment.

This particular strip of Horne Street comes with history.

Eight people were shot at the site of the car wash in July 2021, right after the community held its inaugural Fourth of July celebration called ComoFest, which was created by community group LEGACY to give Como residents a safe space to celebrate the holiday.

And as the clock ticked toward midnight of July 4, 11 people were shot on Horne Street as a crowd gathered in for a separate celebration after ComoFest. Three people died of their injuries, and two have since been arrested. Police say it came as a result of a gang fight.

Neither of the two suspects are from Como.

“It has nothing to do with the community,” longtime resident and community leader Ella Burton said. “Just another blight. Their zip codes are not 76107.”

There have long been plans in the works for revitalization up and down Horne Street, but what happens with the car wash property is still up for debate. And while the solution to addressing crime and gun violence in any area is complicated and doesn’t have one set answer, some in the community have said redevelopment in the corridor may help curb similar instances of violence.

The vacant car wash lot’s new owner, Sam Harris, wants to make it into mixed use development.

There’s just one thing holding it back — the property next door.

What has held back the plans?

When the car wash still stood, it was flanked in the back by a property filled with brush and trash.

It can’t be more than 50 feet deep and stretches the width of the car wash lot. But it’s this tiny space that’s holding up potential development.

Harris doesn’t own that piece of land, and said he’s had a hard time getting it into his hands. It’s owned by Kevin Khorrami, who runs Khorrami Enterprises LLC in Fort Worth.

Khorrami told the Star-Telegram he hasn’t been contacted by Harris about the property, but if Harris reached out, Khorrami would consider selling it.

The neighborhood used to be represented by Michael Craine. He hasn’t gotten any updates on development on the vacant car wash property but said he was willing to help make development happen.

Como’s new representative after redistricting, Jared Williams, hasn’t had time to get that far. He has represented the area only since May, and he hasn’t had conversations with Harris about development.

Williams said everyone is on the same page about the Horne Street corridor’s importance.

“Nothing’s more important than ensuring that our neighborhoods are vibrant and well,” Williams said.

What do Como residents want to see on the lot?

Development up and down Horne Street is already well underway.

The city has allocated $9.6 million to make the corridor more attractive to anyone who may want to park their business along Horne Street. The goal is to add bike lanes, improved traffic signals and greenery, among other beautification methods, according to the city website.

At the car wash property, Harris envisions shops under townhomes. Preferably, there would be three or four small shops that might include a small restaurant or coffee shop, or maybe even a nail salon or bakery. What Harris doesn’t want is office space — he wants to make sure there’s foot traffic, and office space isn’t conducive to that plan.

Residents like Harris’ plan.

Burton thinks anything would do well on the lot there as long as it isn’t a liquor store, grocery store or laundromat.

Estrus Tucker, lifelong Como resident and community leader who’s president of the neighborhood’s historic preservation council, also likes Harris’ idea. He said there was hardly any hope for the car wash lot until Harris purchased it and tore down the structure, and called Harris the “poster child” for development in Como.

Harris is also working on similar development right across the street from the vacant car wash lot with more planned nearby.

“He’s from Como, he’s got access to capital, and he’s willing and he’s going to listen to the community,” Tucker said. “What he’s doing is going to be a powerful message. The success of that will be a powerful message for other potential developers.”

Tucker said walkable, pedestrian- and people-friendly design will fit the future orientation of communities like Como and also the community itself.

Is development a part of the solution?

Curbing gun violence in any neighborhood doesn’t have one broad sweeping answer.

But Tucker thinks the incoming redevelopment on Horne Street might help situations like the Fourth of July violence from happening again.

“That’s what some of the best models of the kind of inner city revitalization is exactly that,” Tucker said.

He said neglected spaces can attract “unscripted, unorganized, disconnected-from-the-neighborhood type activities,” and that targeting those areas “for something positive and hopeful and progressive is a powerful strategy.”

With the car wash gone, the area has already reaped benefits.

Harris said there hasn’t been a single issue on the property since he bought it and tore down the structure. Representatives with the city’s code compliance office, too, say there have been zero issues with the property since the structure toppled.

Harris emphasized that those who committed the mass shooting July 4 were from outside the community and came in with their minds made up, but said development might help. He’s working on another development in the neighborhood until he gets the issue with the vacant car wash lot figured out.

Williams said a neighborhood conservation strategy will be presented to the City Council in August and that decisions made about Como will be intentional and align with the neighborhood’s vision.

He added that there are several benefits to redevelopment that could create vibrancy and promote both safety and economic opportunity.

And Burton and others at the advisory council are already looking toward ways to change next year’s ComoFest celebration.

But right now, Burton said the community is letting the dust settle.

Shortly after the July 3 shooting, there was a meeting with 10 mental health providers at Como’s community center, and one of the barber shops is going to host community conversations and connect residents to resources, Burton said.

When events like the mass shooting happen in Como, most are quick to assign one trait to the community — resilient.

The pride and strength are undoubtedly interwoven into Como’s spirit, but should they have to be put in a position to be strong?

“Every round we go higher,” Burton said. “It makes us even stronger and more determined.”

Construction whirred up and down Horne Street on Thursday morning, sending traffic through a maze of neighborhood streets to get through to the other side of the thoroughfare.

Only a white box truck stood in the roped off former car wash lot.

And a lilac pinwheel set up by a memoir for 18-year-old shooting victim Gabriella Navarrete spun fast in the wind.