Walsh, the new 7,200-acre development in West Fort Worth that is projected to bring 15,000 homes and about 50,000 people to the area, officially opened its doors – and roads – to development in April.
Walsh is named after the family of F. Howard and Mary D. Walsh, which owns the former ranch near where Interstate 30 merges with Interstate 20. It is the largest development underway in the United States within 12 minutes of a major city center, according to the developers.
To celebrate the opening, developers removed the barricades to an I-30 overpass called Walsh Ranch Parkway that leads into the development. The development will eventually encompass 11 square miles north and south of the interstate, but the initial development is on the north side.
Walsh is the latest project from Dallas-based Republic Property Group, which counts two of the best-selling master-planned communities in the nation among its current projects.
“We studied the iconic neighborhoods of Fort Worth as inspiration for the home architectural style at Walsh and visited more than 35 communities across eight states to determine what works best in developing communities for today’s homebuyers,” said Jake Wagner, co-CEO of Republic Property Group. “Our builders bring a unique mix of local, regional and national character and expertise that will deliver on our vision to make Walsh the next great neighborhood of Fort Worth.”
While Walsh pays tribute to Fort Worth’s past, the developers also have their eye on the future. Walsh will be the first development in the country that features two-gigabit internet speeds in every home and school as the minimum connectivity standard. High-speed connectivity doesn’t stop there as 10-gigabit service plans will be available to future corporate campuses, or any resident who wants to upgrade.
“There will be very real, immediate benefits in education, community safety for residents and to future businesses and medical centers,” said Tony Ruggeri, co-CEO of Republic Property Group. “Delivering the world’s fastest internet at Walsh is not just about connectivity, it is about fostering an entirely new center of innovation in Texas.”
If you don’t want to travel 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 out to the prairie, model homes at Walsh are open to the public
If some of the houses look a little familiar, they should. Walsh developed a 130-page pattern book for the neighborhoods. The book has a selection of architectural styles and floor plans that include modern takes on the Texas vernacular, Tudor and craftsman style houses. Those are designed to honor the heritage of Fort Worth’s great neighborhoods, according to Republic officials.
In conjunction with the opening, Republic announced HGC Residential Development as an additional homebuilder for the initial phase of development.
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 first houses at Walsh.
Walsh is in the Aledo Independent School District. When the development is complete, residents will find amenities including 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.
The Makerspace is a collaborative workspace that provides public access to tools and training in manufacturing, in an environment designed to foster education, entrepreneurship and business cultivation. Ruggeri said the Makerspace will give residents, students, entrepreneurs and innovators in the development a creative space. “The Makerspace at Walsh and our investment in fiber internet infrastructure will be a major draw for current and future North Texas residents, businesses, schools and more,” he said.
Fort Worth Business Press, by Robert Francis | May 27, 2017 | Original article here
