Walsh is a community that was a long time in the making. First envisioned as a retreat just outside Fort Worth almost 15 years ago, the master-planned development is finally getting under way.

Formerly known as the Walsh Ranch Development, the land sits on 7,200 acres on the line between Tarrant County and Parker County, just north of where Interstate 20 meets Interstate 30. It’s just twelve minutes west of Downtown Fort Worth, with some of the community being served by the highly rated Aledo Independent School District and future phases being a part of the Fort Worth Independent School District.

The development will have 15,000 homes, providing a home base for more than 50,000 residents in West Fort Worth. According to developers Republic Property Group, Walsh is the largest community in development in the country that’s within ten minutes of a major city center. With thousands of people moving to Fort Worth every day, the new development provides an attractive solution to the significant demand for housing.

Even though the community is still close to Downtown Fort Worth, it still feels like a relaxing escape from city life. A new road called Walsh Ranch Parkway provides access to the community, but it’s not visible from the highway. The property takes advantage of the natural beauty and wide open spaces of Texas. You can get a piece of land that’s all your own starting in the $300s. It is expected that the location will be highly desirable and will even include room for 40 custom homes that can go into the millions.

True the saying that “if you build it, they will come,” the planning for Walsh has already prepared the area for an influx of new residents. The model homes were recently completed, but there’s already a three-lane road and gas station under construction. The neighborhoods within Walsh will incorporate a variety of architectural styles and floor plans, carefully chosen to create an appealing mix. Housing styles will include modern updates on the Texas Vernacular (Hill Country-inspired), Craftsman, Mediterranean, Transitional, Colonial Revival, and Tudor styles. Each will complement the beauty of the surrounding landscape. 

When the property is complete, it will be more than just a standard housing development and will aim to serve the lifestyle needs of all kinds of residents. It will include two gigabyte internet access as a standard feature with every home at no additional cost to homeowners. It will also include a shopping market, family pool with cabanas and kids’ areas, junior Olympic-sized lap pool, 10,000 square-foot gym, daycare facilities, a Makerspace, and co-working space. It will also offer hiking and walking trails throughout the neighborhood.

Republic Property Group (RPG) is working with a variety of top local builders, including David Weekley Homes, Drees Homes, Highland Homes, Toll Brothers, and Village Homes. HCG Residential Development is an additional builder for the initial phase. All homes in the first phase of the development will back up to either a green space or a neighborhood park.

Although Dallas gets more attention, Fort Worth is still a major player in its own right as the 16th largest city in the country. Fort Worth has recently seen a surge of new developments, including walking and biking trails along the Trinity River, trendy shops in the Southside neighborhood, and cultural amenities galore coming to Downtown, including Sundance Square and West 7th. The Walsh community is positioned to allow residents easy access to the growing amenities in Fort Worth.

Developers have an eye on the future when it comes to Walsh. They hope that Walsh will become more than just a housing development, but a self-contained community of its own. By the time Walsh is complete, the development could contain up to eight elementary schools, a couple middle schools, and a high school. The first elementary school is already in development and is planning to open in the fall of 2017. The school is being built on land donated by Walsh. Future homes in the development will have about two-thirds of them zoned to Aledo ISD, while the other third will be zoned to the Fort Worth ISD.

As it stands now, developers are releasing new inventory in stages in an effort to maintain property values. The project has been carefully designed from the beginning and aspires to become a truly livable community space that people will be proud to call home. It’s only in the earliest stages of what is planned to be decades of development, but developers hope Walsh will be the hottest new address in Fort Worth.