Dallas Land Buy Tops 2,500 Acres, $5.1B Build Plan

Dallas Land Buy: What Happened at South Creek Ranch

Although the acquisition terms were not disclosed, Cawley Partners and an investment group acquired South Creek Ranch in 2025, securing a 5,200-acre tract in Ferris, Texas.

The sale included all owned minerals conveyed with the property.

Icon Global brokered the deal, underscoring its broker role after a bid window from May 15 to June 28.

The deal comes as builders nationally continue chasing prime residential land amid strong demand for well-located housing sites.

Sale mechanics and history

The ranch was assembled and stewarded for more than 50 years, forming a family legacy tied to W. Ray Wallace, the Trinity Industries CEO who died in 2016.

Tours were offered to pre-qualified parties before bids were due June 28.

Property status at closing

The tract sits in the Ferris ETJ, straddling Dallas and Ellis counties, with I-45 frontage at Malloy Bridge Road.

It transferred as a three-part holding: ranch, Tall Oaks homestead, and Woodstone development area.

Why the 5,200-Acre Dallas Land Buy Stands Out

The South Creek Ranch sale put 5,200 acres under one ownership block near Ferris, creating a scale rarely seen in recent North Texas transactions.

It spans Dallas and Ellis counties, about 20 miles south of downtown Dallas. Cawley expects the first building delivery within two to three years.

Disruptive Scale

Cawley Partners framed it as a once-in-a-generation opportunity, contrasting it with the smaller, scattered tracts now common in county listings across the region.

The consolidation turns rural land near a town of under 3,000 people into a single platform for long-horizon planning. Similar to Central Texas’ supply chain resilience push, developers are betting on large master-planned industrial campuses with upgraded power and multimodal access.

Strategic Vision Shift

The site sits within Inland Port gravity, an established 7,500-acre logistics hub employing 138,000 manufacturing workers.

A shift toward mixed-use digital commerce and housing broadens southern Dallas County’s industrial-heavy trajectory.

Ellis County growth since 2020 is intensifying infrastructure demand, adding pressure and urgency to long-range planning.

What Gets Built First on the 5,200 Acres

In the first phase, construction targets roughly 2,000 acres on the ranch’s northern edge.

Digital commerce parks are slated to lead the rollout.

Comparable logistics hubs like Greenville, where vacancy below 10% persists, show how quickly large-space demand can tighten industrial supply.

Logistics and light manufacturing buildings are expected to deliver in two to three years.

Utility phasing with Ferris, nearby power lines, and the water mill switch governs site readiness.

Road staging emphasizes Interstate 45 access and future Loop 9 connections.

Southern acreage stays ranchland.

Later Sequencing Risks

Residential development follows the opening commercial tranche.

Up to 5,000 homes are possible at full buildout.

Home mix and pricing adjust to demand.

This also supports schools.

Further phases widen beyond the initial 2,000 acres as Loop 9 timing firms.

Retail is most likely along the Interstate 45 frontage.

Why Data Centers Lead the Dallas Buildout

Data Centers Lead Under Shortage

Dallas data center vacancy sat at 2.4% in the first half of 2025. Developers prioritized power-ready campuses before other uses. But 2-3 year permitting timelines are stretching as municipalities add scrutiny, increasing the risk of stranded capital.

Absorption hit 279 megawatts, up 575% year over year. Meanwhile, North America vacancy fell to 1.6%.

Under construction, 350 megawatts is 90% pre-leased. That leaves limited near-term options for tenants.

Indicator	2025 H1	Signal
Vacancy	2.4%	Tight supply
Absorption	279 MW	Surge
Pipeline	350 MW, 90% pre-leased	Locked demand

AI Demand Reshapes Design

AI demand is pushing power density from 5 to 7 kW racks toward 200 kW. That shift can make 7- to 10-year facilities obsolete.

With 600 megawatts of critical IT load underway and 95% preleased, builders must secure power, cooling, fiber, and crews. Costs are rising to $10.7M per MW.

How the Dallas Land Buy Impacts Ferris and DFW Growth

Although southern DFW has absorbed rapid population and industrial growth, the 5,200-acre South Creek Ranch acquisition in Ferris signals a sharper, infrastructure-driven pivot.

Separately, DFW infrastructure funding includes $11.5 billion earmarked to improve connectivity across the metro area.

Ferris has doubled in population in five years, and the project will triple the city’s footprint beyond 4.3 square miles.

Growth Shock in Ferris

I-45 access, the future Loop 9, existing power lines, and water rights could accelerate entitlement timelines and construction sequencing.

Homes, digital commerce parks, and retail frontage may expand tax revenue while also straining public services.

Brooks Williams called the scale groundbreaking for Ferris officials.

Corridor Disruption for Southern DFW

The cross-county site reshapes transit planning and freight routing across southern Dallas and northern Ellis County.

Its scale surpasses Legacy Hills and Fields, potentially redirecting data center, logistics, and campus demand for decades.

Assessment

South Creek Ranch signals a high-stakes shift on Dallas’ southern edge.

A 5,200-acre control position and a stated $5.1 billion plan compress years of entitlement, infrastructure, and tenant decisions into an accelerated timeline.

Early data center phasing reflects power and fiber realities, while setting land values and traffic patterns for Ferris and the broader DFW corridor.

Execution risk remains material, with utilities, permitting, and capital markets likely to determine the pace and scope of delivery.

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