Haltom City Loses Collector Car Museum to Fort Worth

    HALTOM CITY, TX, December 10, 2024 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Ron Sturgeon, a Haltom City entrepreneur, started his first business 50 years ago at 4416 N. E. 28th St. in Haltom City. His small Volkswagen repair shop grew, and he eventually found success in the auto salvage business. His business grew and he later sold his yards to Ford Motor Company in 1999 and became a commercial real estate developer throughout Tarrant County.

His offices have remained in Haltom City since 1973. In the 1980s, he started collecting cars, automotive memorabilia and toys. Eventually, he opened the DFW Elite Toy Museum in Haltom City, a free museum that is open to the public.

Located in South Haltom City, his museum has outgrown that location. Six months ago, he began searching for another location, looking at lots of facilities in Tarrant County, over 50,000 sf.

"I hoped to find someplace in Haltom City because I have been here for so long, and I genuinely love the city," said Sturgeon.

He was so excited when he found the perfect location, the old Haltom City State Bank building on Belknap, which had also been a Wells Fargo branch but was now vacant. He prepared plans to add 20,000 square feet to the 25,000 square-foot existing building located on 2 1/2 acres and went to visit the city about his plans. Unfortunately, because the city does not have a museum classification in its use and parking matrix, the city assigned a classification of offices to the use, requiring well over 100 parking spaces, which was much more than he could ever need, and more than could be accommodated by the space.

Sturgeon proposed that Haltom City add a classification for museums and art galleries to the use and parking matrix as many other cities in Tarrant County have such a category with a parking requirement of two spaces per 1000 square feet. His solution was roundly dismissed. City staff was extremely nice and gave him a good meeting with several of the building officials and proposed instead that he could apply for a variance for less parking.

Unfortunately, because such a procedure takes many months, the timing was not allowed under his real estate contract, and his experience was that the last variance he sought took nine months and two sets of hearings to get. Additionally, he wasn't optimistic that this one would even be approved. Never did Haltom City staff indicate their enthusiasm for the use.

After some more searching, Sturgeon found another site in Haltom City that he really liked, the old Kroger center at Denton Highway and Broadway. The center is an eyesore and has been vacant for many years, and the city has desperately been seeking improvements or tenants. Sturgeon contacted the New York owner of the building and was able to negotiate a price to buy the building. He went to the city again planning on spending millions on the building and millions to improve it to convert the 100,000 square-foot vacant space to move his collector car museum.

The center was zoned C2 light commercial, and he requested C3 zoning, which would allow his event center to also operate in the space. Again, the city staff were very nice, but they told him his only choice was to seek a variance. They were not enthusiastic about supporting such a request despite their contention that they very much wanted to do something with the abandoned center.

As it turned out, Sturgeon was able to buy a 150,000 sf distribution center on I35 in Fort Worth, and is satisfied with his purchase, but disappointed that he was unable to keep the museum in Haltom City.

Surgeon has been an advocate of improving the corridors in the south and central parts of Haltom city through the Haltom United Business Alliance, making numerous proposals on how to bring the small businesses back to the beleaguered parts of the city. Unfortunately, city management only wants to point to the large businesses they have brought to the north side of the city, and the city council seems to be in complete denial that there is decline occurring in the south and central parts of the city. Sturgeon says, "Until they are willing to recognize the decline, they aren't going to be willing to make a plan of improvement, and nothing is going to change." He felt that his use would be a great addition to the aging corridors of Belknap or Denton Highway.

He recently also offered the city $100,000 to commission a study for revitalization from
Strong Towns, a nonprofit specializing in helping cities get on the road to sustainable growth, but the council said no they only wanted to use firms that they are familiar with. The city in the past. has commissioned such studies, mostly from engineering firms, and none of the studies if implemented has yielded any improvements.

About Haltom United Business Alliance
Haltom United Business Alliance (HUBA) wants to give members of Haltom City's business community an advocate and to keep those businesses informed about issues that affect them. They want to make sure Haltom City is business friendly and nurtures small business growth, including automotive businesses in the industrial districts, and bring more restaurants including breweries and eventually a major grocery store to the city. New businesses and growth in existing businesses will create a stronger tax base which will allow the city to pay its first responders wages that are competitive with surrounding cities while improving Haltom City's facilities and infrastructure. HUBA believes that the southern and central parts of the city need a revitalization plan, to prevent further degradation in those areas, and wants that to happen before the inner-city experiences increased crime and more blight. As retail and office uses are in decline, it's more critical than ever to attract new businesses. They believe that such a plan requires a strong relationship and support of the business community. Anyone who owns a business in Haltom City is eligible to join HUBA. Dues are $20 annually or $50 for a lifetime membership, and membership is 100% confidential. To join, contact Joe Palmer at (682) 310-0591 or by email at [email protected]. Visit the group's Facebook at Haltom United Business Alliance.

About Strong Towns
Strong Towns, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit media advocacy organization, is dedicated to help American cities become financially strong and resilient. As written in their mission statement, "We advocate for cities of all sizes to be safe, livable, and inviting. We work to elevate local government to be the highest level of collaboration for people working together in a place, not merely the lowest level in a hierarchy of governments." An interview with group founder Charles Marohn that is said to be a great way to introduce someone new to Strong Towns can be viewed on the website of Thesis Driven as part of their Thesis Driven Leader Series. Check it out if you get the chance: Author Charles Marohn on How to Fix Cities.

About DFW Elite Toy Museum
DFW Elite Toy Museum is home to 3,000 antique automotive toys and a rotating collection of more than 150 collector cars. The museum is excited about its impending move to Fort Worth and its name change to DFW Car & Toy Museum. Admission to the museum is free. The new address will be 2550 McMillan Parkway. The museum anticipates reopening in the first quarter of 2025 after the remodel of its new space is complete.

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