Tri Pointe Homes Takes Over Bulk of Pearson Ranch

Tri Pointe Homes won approval to develop most of Pearson Ranch near Austin, forecasting more horizontal development in a project once billed as a dense mixed-use community.

Williamson County approved a development agreement on Tuesday that clears the way for the Incline Village, Nevada-based homebuilder to take up 95 acres in the 156-acre Pearson Ranch, the Austin Business Journal reported.

Initial plans for Pearson Ranch, proposed by Austin-based Inspire Development in January 2022, described a $2 billion mixed-use development with a 48-acre office campus, two hotels, 200,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and community space, as well as 2,500 multifamily units, according to the publication. Based on preliminary maps submitted to the city of Austin earlier this year, Tri Pointe’s residential neighborhoods appear to supplant much of the commercial space.

Inspire still owns the property through its subsidiary companies, Pearson Ranch LLC and Pearson Ranch Development, according to the Williamson Central Appraisal District. However, plans filed with the city of Austin confirm that Tri Pointe plans to take the acreage that constitutes almost two-thirds of Pearson Ranch, the publication reported.

Aside from The Eden, a 306-unit multifamily community that began construction in 2022, it’s uncertain how much of Inspire’s initial vision will take shape. Plans for the remaining 61 acres remain unclear, according to the publication.

The site spans 156 acres mostly in Williamson County northwest of the intersection of West Parmer Lane and State Highway 45, about 20 miles north of Downtown Austin. Nearby employers include Dell, which plans to spend $25 million expanding its office in Round Rock, and Apple, which employs about 10,000 people in the Austin area and keeps an office at Riata Corporate Park on West Parmer Lane.

Other major developments in Williamson County include Yearwood and Rock Bluff Ranch, two Freehold Capital Management residential projects which together would bring more than 4,000 homes to Georgetown, and The District, a mixed-use development by Mark IV Capital in Round Rock that’s expected to cost more than $1 billion.

-Isaiah Mitchell