The Northwest school district, which covers 235 square miles across three counties in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, has made several significant land purchases in or around master-planned communities in anticipation of future population growth.
In May, the district’s trustees a $5.35 million purchase of 155 acres in the Le Tara master planned community in Haslet, Texas, which includes 140.6 acres for a future high school and 14.5 acres for a future elementary school. Le Tara is set to have 500 homes on 275 acres at full buildout. Other recent purchases include a 16-acre elementary school site in far north Fort Worth for $2.5 million and a high school, middle school and stadium site for $8.6 million. This land was purchased in advance for cost savings.
More than 30,000 vacant housing lots are available in the Northwest district. According to Bob Templeton of Templeton Demographics, the first quarter of 2017 was the busiest for new housing starts in over a decade, with 484 new starts compared to 309 in 2016. He predicts that the district’s enrollment will grow by 6,200 students over the next five years.