8 minute read
OVERVIEW
Overview
SO CREEK RANCH
TALL OAKS HOMESTEAD
WOODSTONE DEVELOPMENT
WATER, WETLANDS, CREEKS, ECOSYSTEM
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
LOOP 9 - NORTHERN BOUNDARY
SO CREEK RANCH
South Creek Ranch was founded in 1970. Over decades the ranch has been expanded upon, increasing in acreage holding size, as well as upgrading and investing in many ranch and homestead infrastructure improvements since.
The property is approximately 5,400 acres in size and is comprised of some 28 tracts, located in Dallas and Ellis Counties. It is located immediately east and adjacent to the city of Ferris, fronting and contiguous to the east side of Interstate-45 between the Ferris and Malloy Bridge Road exits. Malloy Bridge Road, running west to east, also runs along a portion of the northeast boundary of the property (on the east side of I 45).
The ranch sits squarely south of Dallas. It is barely a twenty-five-minute drive from the Dallas financial and arts districts, and landmarks of Museum Tower and Klyde Warren Park. Looking north from any of the many hilltops and ridges of the ranch by day or night, one can clearly see the backdrop of iconic buildings and lights within the magnificent Dallas Skyline.
For many years, the ranch has been operated as a true working cattle ranch. It also served as a family retreat and for occasional political, social, and corporate entertainment but mostly it has been the beloved home and private ranch estate of a well-known Dallas industrial pioneer.
The rolling topography of this property is as spectacular as it is rare and exclusive to any other land within minutes of the DFW Metroplex. South Creek Ranch provides almost limitless and unique opportunities for continual private ranch ownership, conservation strategies, mixed use and master planned development or entertainment and recreational enjoyment.
The juxtaposition of this valued premium and true working ranch located on the very edge of one of the nation’s most modern and international cities is truly unique.
Elevations, views, water, access, and vistas to the North and East are particularly spectacular. The ranch is truly picturesque and includes vignettes and remnants of a life past including old homesteads, barns and even cemeteries dotted across a myriad of hills, dales, pastures, draws and farmland. It is a wildlife haven.
Today, the property is comprised of three main parts, the largest portion continues to operate as a working cattle ranch, earning significant revenues from Cattle leases and Hay production, as well as significant sand and gravel production royalties.
The homestead and high fenced grounds continue to serve as a luxurious weekend entertainment retreat and residence.
In 2020 the Ranch also commenced a proof of concept type development of a small contiguous residential and commercial mixed-use community located on the southeast end of the property and accessed via a grand parkway and formal entry on the I 45 frontage road. The development was named Woodstone.
TALL OAKS HOMESTEAD
Within the ranch is a spectacular, one-of-a-kind luxury and gated compound.
Affectionately known as “Tall Oaks,” the sprawling three-level stone mansion was completed in 2000. Built to include every luxury amenity and to entertain, the home is wrapped with quintessential screen porch verandas to the rear, taking in incredible and unobstructed easterly views over the lake and across the ranch. Tall Oaks is sequestered within a private gated and high-fenced 32-acre tract, and high-fenced exotic game reserve which includes a private helipad.
This home and parcel are included within the offering and provide potential ranging from private use or VIP Corporate entertainment to an exclusive community amenity type use within a masterplan.
The Ranch also includes significant working ranch headquarters, and shop, pens, and other operational infrastructure along with many other homes, barns, and buildings throughout.
WOODSTONE DEVELOPMENT
Woodstone Development was commenced by the current ranch owners in association with Tommy Ford Homes, led by CEO Cory Ford, breaking ground in May of 2020. Home construction began in December of 2021.
Today, the 64-acre Woodstone development consists of 3 phases (251 lots) of residential development and includes an initial 7.7 acres of designated commercial area, which is contiguous to and facing the I-45 frontage road of the Woodstone entry.
Woodstone has proved to be a successful and as of August 2022, within Phase One, has sold and closed 48 lots with another 34 lots under contract. Additionally, there are approximately 14 fully completed homes sold and under construction.
Application for Phase Two is in planning review and is expected to be approved by the City of Ferris.
A conceptual futuristic masterplan covering the entire ranch has been developed as an option for new ownership, potentially incorporating up to a 10,000 homes with a mixed-use community development, including industrial, commercial, and residential applications.
Conversely, the alternative’s to large-scale development include continued operation as a private home and ranch, limiting development to the existing 64-acre Woodstone footprint – alternatively completing a conservation easement strategy, or simply a land bank investment or other combination of other low-density options such as a private golf course or ranch retreat. Certainly, expansion of existing revenue and royalty streams along with other income opportunities exist.
WATER, WETLANDS, CREEKS, ECOSYSTEM
The entirety of the ranch is covered by a myriad of creeks, ponds, and dams. A partial flood plain and wetlands (including Ten Mile Creek), provides a spectacular and rare mix of man-made surface impoundment improvements, natural reserves, seasonal creeks and accompanying ecosystems.
Topography of Hill and Dale with elevations of 500 ft not only provide spectacular views and vistas, but moreover naturally important drainage and run-off, creating rich, productive, and stable soils on hilltops optimizing natural filtration, aeration, and moisture to prized fertile and diverse bottomland and flood plain, providing a premium use for anything from livestock forage to lifestyle, recreation and adventure.
Malloy Bridge Drive
Parkinson Road
FUTURE DEVELOPMENT
INTERSTATE 45
MAIN ENTRANCE
(SOUTH CREEK BLVD)
COMMON GREEN SPACES
Tenmile Creek FUTURE PARKS/TRAILS
MIXED USE
MIXED USE
RETAIL Tenmile Creek FUTURE PARKS/TRAILS
FUTURE RESIDENTIAL
South Creek Blvd.
FUTURE RESIDENTIAL
FUTURE RESIDENTIAL MIXED USE
FUTURE RESIDENTIAL
FUTURE RESIDENTIAL
Wolf Springs Road FUTURE PARKS/TRAILS
FUTURE RESIDENTIAL
PHASE 1&2
PHASE 3
FUTURE RESIDENTIAL
0 800’
1”=800’ 1600’ 3200’
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION >>>
There are few, if any, true working ranches with the size, scale, and versatile resources that South Creek offers within 30 minutes of Dallas.
Certainly, there are no ranches or land parcels which during the decades and course of an explosive development and an encroaching major metroplex such as Dallas, that have become larger instead of smaller!
South Creek ranch is a rare exception. As over decades, Dallas became larger, so did south Creek. As beltways, thoroughfares, county roads, loops, and intermodal facilities were improved, planned, permitted, and added to the myriad of the vast South Dallas Metroplex, the owners of the So Creek ranch added parcels, tracts, and farmland all the while enhancing each addition to the holdings.
Driving the short distance south to the ranch from Dallas Landmark Klyde Warren Park towards Houston, I45 is intersected by such significant throughfares and exits such as SH 175 East (exit 283), TX loop 12 (exit 279), Interstate 20 (Exit I20 E/W) and Beltline Road (exit 270) before crossing Malloy Bridge Road (exit 268) (Ranch adjacent) and Ferris Exit 266 to access the Ranch via Woodstone.
Today, the ranch has a contiguous boundary of I-45 /Frontage Road on the west side and Malloy Bridge Road on the northeast, with the interiors already being superbly intersected within a natural masterplan subdivision, with three excellent and county-maintained roads, Wolf Springs, Parkinson, and Nokes.
In golfing terms, South Creek Ranch is in position A, right in front of the green, ready for a chip and a putt!
To the South and West is the growing city of Ferris, (population: approx. 3100) which includes new schools, other new developments, and various new city amenities.
Just a further few minutes south of the ranch on each side of I45, sits The International Inland Port of Dallas (IIPOD) is a - global, national, regional, and local connection to markets. An intermodal and logistics district that encompasses 7,500 acres across 5 municipalities, the IIPOD is located at the hub of the nation’s best logistics transportation infrastructure. https://www.dallasecodev.org/414/International-Inland-Port-of-Dallas
LOOP 9 - NORTHERN BOUNDARY
The Loop 9 initiative consists of three major segments, (A, B, and C). This super-loop connector is a six-lane connector commencing at US HWY 67 at Cedar Hill, crossing over I-35E and Red Oak, (Segment A), and continuing east for ten miles to I-45 at Malloy Bridge Road, Ferris, (Segment B), with the final segment continuing east along Malloy Bridge Road (South Creek Ranch property line) to S Hwy 175E at I-20 at Lawson.
Importantly, the ten-mile second phase (segment B) of Loop 9 is CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION at the intersection of Malloy Bridge Road and Interstate 45. As this all-important connector continues east along Malloy Bridge Road and the ranch, it will then cross State Hwy 175E at Seagoville and later connect to Interstate 20 at the city of Lawson near the Dallas and Kaufman County line.
“The need for the Loop 9 project is to address population growth, regional transportation demand, system linkages, and intermodal connections in the Dallas/ Fort Worth (DFW) region”- TX DOT.