Cawley Partners Buys 5,200 Acres South of Dallas

One of the largest recent land deals in North Texas just closed south of Dallas. A wave of development is set to follow, folding scattered assets into one sprawling mega-project.

Dallas-based developer Cawley Partners closed on the 5,200-acre South Creek Ranch near Ferris, about 20 miles south of downtown Dallas, straddling Dallas and Ellis counties, the Dallas Morning News reported. Terms of the purchase were not disclosed.

Initial development will focus on 2,000 acres on the northern portion of the property, where Cawley plans to build a combination of data centers and manufacturing and logistics facilities, which it called “digital commerce parks.” Residential development will follow, with the company projecting as many as 5,000 homes at full buildout.

The site, previously owned by the late Trinity Industries CEO W. Ray Wallace and sold out of his trust, had been used primarily for cattle operations and hay production. It includes a 23,000-square-foot mansion overlooking a small lake, ranch headquarters buildings, barns and other houses.

Plans for the mansion’s future use have not been finalized, though the developers indicated it is “way too valuable to be destroyed.”

The land will continue operating as a ranch for the short term, but development is starting. The first building is expected to deliver within two to three years, with additional project phases tied to the eventual expansion of Loop 9, the future highway corridor planned just north of the site.

The deal was brokered by Bernard Uechtritz of Icon Global. The property was marketed starting in late 2023 before a call for offers closed at the end of last year.

Local housing experts say the land’s proximity to downtown Dallas and future infrastructure improvements make it ripe for growth.

Ferris’ population was under 3,000 as of 2020, while surrounding Ellis County’s numbers jumped 20.8 percent from mid-2020 to mid-2024, according to Census Data. Thousands of acres have been listed for sale in Ellis County this year, including about 5,900 acres near Waxahachie.

Cawley Partners described the transaction as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to shape the southern approach to Dallas with a combination of commercial and residential uses.

The firm for years focused on commercial, mostly office development throughout the metroplex before establishing a residential division two years ago. Plans are still “ongoing” and “in progress” for its only other residential projects, two condo towers off Northwest Highway in the Preston Center district.

— Judah Duke