Huge housing development shows coronavirus may not be slowing Fort Worth’s growth
AUGUST 06, 2020 03:58 PM , UPDATED AUGUST 06, 2020 10:02 PM
Far north Fort Worth’s boom doesn’t appear to be slowing down as an international developer plans to bring 10,000 to 15,000 new residents to a nature-focused community just west of Texas Motor Speedway.
BY LUKE RANKER
Today much of Wildflower Ranch is a little more than a pasture, but by this time next year 400 homes will be available in the first phase of the 3,300 single-family home master-planned community centered on Harriet Creek. The development from Houston-based real estate firm Hines is the latest addition to the rapidly growing northern suburbs and Northwest school district.
“This area has been for the last five years one of the top two growth areas in the residential real estate market, so we really feel strongly that this is a prime location,” said Dustin Davidson, Hines managing director. “Frankly, of all the new developments that are coming online, we are kind of positioned to be the crown jewel.”
Homes will range from $200,000 to $400,000 on 40 to 60-foot wide lots, though Davidson said some custom homes could hit $500,000. The location just north of the Alliance Airport hub and just west of the Charles Schwab headquarters in Westlake make it a prime location for both blue collar and white collar workers, he said.
Coronavirus has changed the way many people work and some of the homes reflect that, he said. Builders have developed a few options that include sound-proof studies for those looking for a more comfortable work-from-home atmosphere. Beazer Homes, Bloomfield Homes, Gehan Homes, Highland Homes and Lennar Homes have been tapped for construction.
The location north of Texas 114 and south of Sam Reynolds Road is in Fort Worth’s extrajudicial territory, the buffer around the city that has not been annexed but must follow city building and design standards.
Outside, nature is the focus.
Harriet Creek runs through the center of the neighborhood, providing a natural backbone. The creek has a shale bottom, so it typically runs clear, and an extensive trail system will be developed along the banks, Davidson said. About 3 1/2 miles of trail are planned for the first phase with more opening as the development expands. Altogether, the community will have 1,100 acres of landscape with a focus on native plants, and, as the name suggests, wildflowers.
The anchor of the community is a resort-style lazy river pool and a community pavilion.
This area of southwest Denton County has been popular with real estate developers for years, and the coronavirus doesn’t appear to be slowing down the expansion.
Ten years ago the Northwest school district had a little more than 14,000 students. The 2019 enrollment saw more than 25,000 students. In November, voters will be asked to support a nearly $1 billion bond program.
The district adds roughly 1,100 new students a year, said Tim McClure, Assistant Superintendent for Facilities. Projects in the $986 million bond are largely meant to catch up with the sustained growth, he said.
The pandemic hasn’t stalled the boom.
A quarterly report earlier this year showed a possible 20% drop in that growth, McClure said. Preliminary numbers for a demographic report that board members will receive later this month indicates that the drop has been wiped out, and the district is again on track to add more than 1,000 students.
Besides Wildflower Ranch, Elizabeth Creek at Alpha Ranch and the Trails at Elizabeth Creek will bring thousands more to the area.
“Within the stretch of about a mile you have three major housing developments that are moving,” McClure said.
Wildflower alone will sustain two elementary schools, he said, and talks are already underway about the first.
The Northwest district may be a big draw for families, Davidson said, who added the neighborhood is geared less toward empty-nesters and starter homes and more toward families wanting to settle down.
“We’ll get a mix of everyone, but this is really a family neighborhood,” he said.
Wildflower Ranch, the latest single-family neighborhood in the booming far north Fort Worth area, will bring 3,300 homes just west of the Texas Motor Speedway in Northwest Independent School District. Construction continues on the main road through the development.