Legendary Ft. Worth Ranch to Become Urban Village

By Jeffrey Steele, Contributing Writer

Ft. Worth, Texas—The famous Edwards Ranch, located in the heart of Ft. Worth, Texas, on the banks of the Clear Fork of the Trinity River, will soon be transformed into Clearfork, a 270-acre urban village to be developed by Cassco Development Co., in partnership with Rosewood Property Co.

Almost 400 units will be built in the first phase of the residential development, including upscale townhomes, urban efficiencies, contemporary lofts and high-end apartments. This broad array of housing types has been chosen to appeal to a diverse blend of age and income groups. Construction will commence in September, and first units are expected to be delivered at the end of 2014. Completion of the development is scheduled for autumn of 2015.

Infrastructure development of the property in partnership with the city of Ft. Worth has been ongoing for a number of years. Now that the Clearfork Main Street Bridge has opened and the Chisholm Trail Parkway is just a year from completion, the site is primed for development.

Cassco and Rosewood have contracted with StreetLights Residential to plan, design and oversee the construction of the multifamily component. Woodbine Development Corporation will oversee the development’s retail portion. UCR Urban has been given the responsibility for handling retail leasing.

The development team is continuing its master planning collaboration with Trinity Works, a Ft. Worth real estate development firm with a reputation for bringing its expertise to non-traditional real estate projects.

Woodbine Development Corporation reports that Clearfork will offer a retail experience unparalleled in Ft. Worth, one encompassing retail, entertainment and green spaces and an assortment of national, regional and local retailers.

Among the unique hallmarks of Clearfork will be access to a blend of open spaces and heavily-wooded topography connecting the river and the Trinity Trails hike and bike system.

The developers’ plan to honor the natural beauty of the more than century-and-a-half-old ranch property extends to providing residents and guests access to miles of riverfront.

“Clearfork has been part of our family for six generations,” says Crawford Edwards, president of Cassco Development Co. “We feel a deep responsibility to honor the past and future generations by creating a development that respects and honors the land.”

Adds Bill Flaherty, president of Rosewood Property Company: “We are pleased to have the opportunity to partner with an exceptional family on historic land. It is rare to have a greenfield site in an urban core, particularly [a greenfield site] that has been carefully protected by six generations. Rosewood shares many similarities with Cassco, and that’s why we’ve taken a patient, long-term approach to investing in Clearfork.”