Lennar Development Near Fort Worth Delayed Due to Water Supply

The future of a planned 4,000-home community north of downtown Fort Worth rests on a question no one can ignore: Where will the water come from?

Lennar purchased 1,800 acres in Wise County from Frisco-based Rockhill Capital & Investments in January with plans to start construction on its Ranchland community this summer. But New Fairview’s city administrator, John Cabrales, says unresolved water concerns will delay the development, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.

The land is in New Fairview’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, just outside city limits, but still under the city’s development rules. The community relies on groundwater, but with rapid population growth in the region, this resource is unsustainable.

The town is working to establish water supply agreements with the city of Justin and the Upper Trinity Regional Water District.

Upper Trinity is conducting a facilities study, which is expected to be completed this spring, to determine the viability of supplying water to the area. In addition, New Fairview must conduct its own study to assess where to link to Justin’s system, further complicating the timeline.

Water concerns are not unique to New Fairview. Officials from neighboring communities, including Rhome, Aurora and Boyd, are discussing the formation of the Wise Regional Water District.

This initiative is a response to concerns that Wise County, which has a population of about 80,000, will face severe water shortages as its population is projected to grow to 485,000 by 2080.

The region’s groundwater supply could be depleted by 2030 if measures aren’t taken to shift away from its use, a 2023 study by Freese and Nichols warned.

If the water supply is settled, Ranchland would join other large-scale communities in the area. Centurion American, for instance, announced in January that it plans to construct more than 4,000 homes within the Alpha Ranch community along Highway 114 north of Fort Worth. Construction is expected to begin later this year.

— Andrew Terrell