Walsh, the new 7,200-acre development in West Fort Worth that will bring 15,000 homes and about 50,000 people to the area is officially open.

Walsh is named after the family that owns the land near where Interstate 30 merges with Interstate 20. It is the largest development underway in the U.S. within 12 minutes of a major city center, according to the developers.

On Thursday, developers removed the barricades to an overpass called Walsh Ranch Parkway that leads into the development. The development will eventually encompass 11 square miles on both sides of the interstate, but the initial development will occur on the north side. Another smaller neighborhood called Morningstar is already underway.

Walsh is the latest project from Dallas-based Republic Property Group, which counts two of the top best-selling master planned communities in the nation among its current projects. The neighborhood at Walsh will showcase a curated selection of architectural styles and floor plans – including modern takes on the Texas Vernacular, Tudor, and Craftsman style homes – specifically designed to honor the heritage of Fort Worth’s great neighborhoods and the surrounding natural landscape, officials said.

If you don’t want to travel west to see the development, Republic Property has opened a location in Sundance Square where visitors can take a virtual tour of the plans for Walsh.

If you do venture west, model homes at Walsh will be open and available to the public. On Thursday, Republic announced HGC Residential Development as an additional homebuilder for the neighborhood’s initial phase.

“HGC Residential Development’s artful designs, specifically crafted with a custom flare and style for Walsh, are a great addition to the timeless architecture that will make Walsh the next great neighborhood of Fort Worth,” said Jake Wagner, co-CEO of Republic Property Group. “We were impressed with the care and attention to detail that HGC puts into each home. Adding HGC to our initial lineup of the best local, Texas-based, and national homebuilders will grow the appeal of Walsh to variety of homeowner tastes and preferences for many years to come.”

HGC, founded in Fort Worth in 2000, is working with RPG, which developed a 130-page pattern book for the neighborhood, on new designs for future homes at Walsh.

All of HGC’s homes in the initial phase at Walsh will either face a neighborhood park or back up to lush green spaces. Homes from HGC at Walsh will be priced from $450,000.

“We are fortunate to be a part of this special place. RPG and the team at Walsh have done a fantastic job creating a one-of-a-kind development,” said John Giordano, head of sales and business development at HGC.

HGC joins David Weekley Homes, Drees Homes, Highland Homes, Toll Brothers and Village Homes in building the new Fort Worth community’s first homes. The initial 587 home sites at Walsh range from 3,850-square-feet to just shy of an acre.

Walsh is zoned for the Aledo Independent School District. Future residents will find amenities of a small town at Walsh: a market, a 10,000-square-foot gym, a family pool with cabanas and kids’ areas, a separate Junior Olympic lap pool, daycare facilities, community co-working spaces, a Makerspace and miles of hiking and walking trails are all accessible to the neighborhood. All homes at Walsh are wired with the nation’s fastest residential internet at no additional cost to homeowners, RPG officials said.

Fort Worth Business Press | April 29, 2017 | Original article here