Master-Planned Community Near Austin, Texas Gets Green Light

Illinois-based Blakefield LLC has been given the green light to develop Thomas Ranch.

Another master-planned community is on tap deep in the heart of Texas, and this one sounds like it’s performing to be a real gem. As KVUE shares, Illinois-based Blakefield LLC has been given the green light by The Travis County Commissioners Court to develop Thomas Ranch, a sprawling 2,200-acre community near Austin along the Pedernales River.

Construction is slated to start in 2018, and Blakefield has some ambitious plans on tap. The community will include more than 3,000 single-family homes, apartments, a town square, community gardens, a marketplace of shops, a resort hotel and spa, as well as entertainment venues and restaurants. Additionally, the community will be chock full of amenities including an extensive network of walking, jogging and hiking trails, natural creeks and miles of nature trails, direct access to Lake Travis and five ecosystems.

“This is not going to be another subdivision with a sea of residential rooftops. This is a full community built to have the heart and personality of a real Hill Country town, with everything from beautiful homes and apartments at a range of prices, a resort hotel for visitors, retailers, and restaurants that the region can enjoy and offices to encourage working close to home,” said Tom D’Alesandro of Blakefield, LLC, lead developer of the project in a statement.

The massive project harkens to the Woodlands, the massive master-planned community that helped transform the outskirts of Houston as it was being finished. As for Thomas Ranch, it will take roughly 15 to 20 years to complete, which is expected to be opened out over four or five phases. It’s supposed to house between 6,000 and 10,000 residents upon completion.  

“As Western Travis County continues to grow, it’s important we welcome developers who can provide infrastructure for thoughtfully planned communities. Thomas Ranch is a community that the Spicewood area will benefit from, providing economic opportunity as well as improvements to existing streets off Paleface Ranch Road,” said Gerald Daugherty, Travis County Commissioner for Precinct Three. 

Blakefield will serve as the lead project developer and has assembled a team that includes Dannenbaum Engineering, Sherwood Engineers, SWCA Environmental Consultant, Ten Eyke Landscape Architects, Integra Group, and Kimley Horn. Add it all up, and it sounds like Thomas Ranch will be a transformative development for the already booming area of Austin.