Myrtle Creek, a 2,500-home master-planned community in east Waxahachie, is being proposed.

The growth on the east side of Waxahachie may soon continue as a new residential development is being proposed.

Hines, a global real estate, investment and development firm, is proposing Myrtle Creek, a 1,263.3-acre master-planned community that will be located east of US 287 and near Parks School House Road, close to the Saddlebrook development.

Myrtle Creek is expected to have approximately 2,500 residential units, according to Matt Ledlie, project manager with Hines. Most of the homes will be single-family houses, though there will be approximately 24 acres of multifamily (a two-story maximum) and approximately 8 acres of duplexes.

Ledlie said various homebuilders will be involved in the project, including some that are new to Waxahachie – David Weekly Homes, Coventry Homes and GFO Home. They will join other homebuilders who already have a history in Waxahachie.

“One of the selling points for the city is we were able to bring in a lot of homebuilders from other parts of the Metroplex into Waxahachie that we think are some of the best builders in the Metroplex,” Ledlie said.

City Manager Michael Scott said the project will be a benefit to the city as the higher-end homes will help with the tax base and add to the housing variety in Waxahachie. 

“What it offers the city of Waxahachie is one more element of a diverse housing stock,” Scott said. “We have products for different buyers. As presented this would be a higher-end development that certainly we could use more of.”

Ledlie said early price points projections for the homes are between $400,000 and $800,000.

Ledlie said there is some commercial zoning in Myrtle Creek – approximately 20 acres off Parks School House and approximately 8 acres off US 287 Bypass.

Ledlie also said the development will make use of open space and will have a trail network.

“We’re really proud of the land plan,” Ledlie said. “It features all of the natural amenities of the site, and we’re trying to locate open spaces, parks and amenities all within a short walking distance of the residents in the community. We want to feature the connectivity and trails because we’re trying to bring all the residents together.”

Ledlie said Myrtle Creek will be highly amenitized and would resemble the 1,100-acre master-planned community Wildflower Ranch in north Fort Worth, another Hines project, which includes amenities such as parks, a trail system, a lazy river, community pool, playground, amenity center, multi-use sports court and a backyard gaming area.

“It’s still preliminary but the idea is to somewhat replicate this concept in Myrtle Creek,” Ledlie said.

In addition Myrtle Creek is expected to have an HOA that oversees a heavy schedule of neighborhood lifestyle programs and HOA events.

“That’s a huge focus for our team, bringing all of the residents together and creating that sense of community,” Ledlie said.

Hannah Brown, who heads land development at Hines, said there are several community programs that have been successful in Hines’ other master-planned communities, such as movie time in the pool, meals on the lawn and Toddler Time.

“That’s always been a huge draw in our existing communities,” Brown said. “It’s having that togetherness in those events. Those are pretty standard events, but they’ll always customize it to what the residents want.”

She said a dedicated lifestyle manager typically creates customized community events in these developments.

Myrtle Creek also includes land dedicated for two possible future elementary schools.

Hines is using the existing zoning for the project, so no other zoning action is needed by the city. And grading work has already begun. However, Hines is seeking a public improvement district (PID) for the development.

If approved the developer would pay for things like amenities up front and then an assessment would be imposed on the residents who live in Myrtle Creek to reimburse the developer.

Hines still needs to bring that request to the City Council for approval.

Hines, a private real estate company, started in 1957, primarily as a high-rise office development company. Over the years it has diversified its project portfolio and now includes apartment, industrial and single-family developments.

Hines has a presence in 395 cities and 30 countries around the world with $95.8 billion of investment assets under management, according to its website.

One of the local projects Hines is working on is Redden Farms, a 251-acre master-planned community in Midlothian near Heritage High School. Like Myrtle Creek, Redden Farms is expected to also have several amenities.