How a Muslim Texas Development Became Public Enemy No. 1

North of Dallas, a controversial master-planned community called EPIC City is in the works — a vision led by Imran Chaudhary to create a multigenerational Muslim neighborhood anchored by a mosque.

Texas Bureau Chief Jess Hardin took a deep dive into EPIC City for the August issue of The Real Deal magazine.

The 400-acre project, named after the East Plano Islamic Center, aims to address housing affordability and cultural cohesion, but it’s drawn fierce backlash from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and right-wing influencers who’ve baselessly claimed the community would impose Sharia law.

Despite the political firestorm and investigations by multiple state agencies, EPIC City’s backers have pressed on, selling $40 million worth of shares to fund the development. While religious communities like Ave Maria in Florida and Veritatis Splendor in East Texas have developed with less scrutiny, EPIC City has become a flashpoint in the debate over who gets to build faith-based communities in America.

The U.S. Department of Justice closed its investigation into the community in June, and the developers plan to submit formal proposals to county officials by year’s end.

TRD Texas Reporter Isaiah Mitchell’s magazine piece this month dug into the explosive growth in the country’s fastest-growing town, Princeton, through the story of one entrepreneur who’s making a mark there.

Former Dallas Mavericks player-turned-country singer Ray Johnston stumbled into a goldmine when he bought 138 acres outside of Princeton just before the town started blowing up. But he also did a ton of work on the ground. Johnston navigated local resistance by personally securing 26 easements from wary neighbors, smoothing the path for sewer lines and a profitable land sale to homebuilders like Lennar. His charm offensive — which included gift baskets and guitar pick-shaped business cards — paid off, turning a passive investment into a hands-on win as Princeton grappled with infrastructure lags and development pressure.

Here’s what else happened in Texas real estate this week:

Fresh off a $343 million capital raise, Dallas-based multifamily syndicator S2 Capital is expanding into industrial real estate with the acquisition of Fort Capital and its 11 million-square-foot portfolio. The move, driven by e-commerce demand and transportation costs, adds a new vertical led by Chris Roach and Parker McCormack, as S2 continues navigating market volatility better than many of its syndicator peers.

One Riverway, an office building in Houston’s Galleria area, is still hemorrhaging tenants despite a recent recap deal to avoid foreclosure. Law firm Wright Close & Barger is the latest to exit, taking 41,000 square feet at TC Energy Center downtown and adding to One Riverway’s vacancy woes after another major law firm departed last year.

An $8.75 million mansion in Southlake cracked Texas’ most-expensive home listings, standing out in a ranking typically dominated by Dallas and Houston estates. The 8,000-square-foot property sits on 3.7 gated acres with a sports court, pool, barn and six-car garage. The seller is Grapevine businessman Monty Patterson, and broker Michael Hershenberg of Hershenberg Group has the listing.

Texas cities are scrambling to blunt the impact of Senate Bill 840, which takes effect Sept. 1 and allows by-right residential development in nonresidential zones. In Arlington, planners are proposing rules — including six-story minimums, mandatory balconies and electrical vehicle charging — that critics say are designed to block the very kind of infill housing the law aimed to encourage. Other cities like Plano, Frisco and Irving are reportedly plotting similar workarounds.