Coyote Drive-In Closes After 14 Years, Making Way for Panther Island's Next Phase
Source: https://coyotedrive-in.com/
After 14 years at 223 NE 4th Street, the Coyote Drive-In has closed for good. The final showing, a screening of "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," played Monday, September 7, Labor Day (Yahoo, 2026). Roughly 800 cars turned out for the closing weekend, according to Fort Worth Report (2026), and one longtime customer's petition to keep a drive-in theater somewhere in the Dallas-Fort Worth area has since collected around 2,000 signatures (Yahoo, 2026).
Why it's closing
The drive-in operated on land leased from the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD), and that lease was always tied to a timeline. General manager Chris Fortune told WFAA (2026) that "our lease has not been renewed, and the next phase of the Panther Island Project will commence." CBS News Texas (2026) reports the specific trigger is TRWD's plan to build two new canals and a three-acre park on the site. A separate Spectrum News (2026) report frames the same land use change more broadly, as the site eventually being redeveloped with "a park, boardwalk and luxury housing." Both descriptions point to the same underlying shift, more public riverfront space and new development on what's currently a surface parking lot for movie screens, but the exact final build-out (park only, versus park plus private development) isn't fully consistent across current reporting and is worth confirming as Panther Island plans firm up.
Where this sits on the map
The site sits just north of downtown Fort Worth on the Trinity River, near the Panther Island Pavilion and within walking distance of the Historic Northside and the Fort Worth Stockyards. It's one of several parcels caught up in the broader Panther Island flood control and redevelopment project, the same long-running initiative behind the Trinity River canal system and the ongoing Central City Flood Control Project.
The bigger picture
This is one closure inside a much larger, multi-year effort to reshape the land along the Trinity River north of downtown. Panther Island's stated long-term goal is roughly 800 acres of new urban waterfront connecting downtown to the Stockyards (Urban Land Institute, cited in prior Fort Worth Report coverage). The drive-in's closure is a visible, human-scale marker of that project moving into an active construction phase rather than a planning phase.
Home Buyers & Sellers
Neighborhoods used below are the closest geographically to 223 NE 4th Street: Historic Northside, Diamond Hill-Jarvis, Marine Creek, Samuels Avenue, and the Fort Worth Stockyards District.
Move-Up Buyers: For buyers looking at homes in Historic Northside, Diamond Hill-Jarvis, or the Stockyards area, this closure is a signal that public and private investment along this stretch of the Trinity is accelerating. New parkland and canal infrastructure this close to downtown can change how a neighborhood is used day-to-day, more foot traffic, more river access, more reasons to be outside. This can be a great thing for people looking for lifestyle and prestige.
Empty-Nesters: For anyone in Samuels Avenue or the Marine Creek area who's watched this stretch of the river change over the past decade, this is another piece of a long-promised transformation actually landing. Whether that reads as welcome progress or one more familiar spot disappearing probably depends on how long you've lived here. Part of Fort Worth's appeal is that it's not Dallas and has a slower more casual feel. This project may change that.
Sources (APA format)
Fort Worth Report. (2026, September 8). Roll credits: 800 cars drive in to say goodbye to Fort Worth's Coyote theater. https://fortworthreport.org/2026/09/08/roll-credits-800-cars-drive-in-to-say-goodbye-to-fort-worths-coyote-theater/
CBS News Texas. (2026, September). Beloved Coyote Drive-In in Fort Worth closing after 14 years this Labor Day weekend: "It'll be sad to go." https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/fort-worth-coyote-drive-in-closing-labor-day/
Spectrum News 1. (2026, September 8). Fort Worth's Coyote Drive-In closes after 14 years. https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/san-antonio/news/2026/09/08/fort-worth-s-coyote-drive-in-closes-after-14-years
WFAA. (2026, August). Customers react to Coyote Drive-In closure amid Panther Island development plans in Fort Worth. https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/tarrant-county/customers-react-coyote-drive-in-closure-panther-island-development-plans-fort-worth/287-8386784a-a204-4fdc-989c-44c109ac29c7
Yahoo News. (2026, September 10). Locals shame city after beloved Texas drive in closes after 14 years. https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/locals-shame-city-beloved-texas-040200357.html
NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. (2026, September). Coyote Drive-In says goodbye to Fort Worth after years of memories. https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/coyote-drive-in-goodbye-fort-worth-years-memories/4073273/