Details sparse on project near city of Ferris
A Texas real estate firm is planning to potentially develop a large data center park outside Dallas.
First reported by D Magazine and Dallas Morning News, Cawley Partners has acquired 5,200 acres south of Dallas. Terms of the acquisition weren’t disclosed.
The acquired South Creek Ranch in the City of Ferris is set to see a mix of uses, including data centers, logistics, manufacturing, and residential.
“This particular piece of land, with the infrastructure that serves it—with Interstate 45 and the future Loop 9—its proximity to the power lines and the water mill switch, make it ideal for data center development,” Tim Keith, partner at Cawley Partners, told D Magazine.
Initial development is expected to focus on 2,000 acres in the northern section of the property, which is slated for a network of digital commerce parks. Development is set to start this year, with the first buildings complete in two or three years.
Further details about the scope of data center development haven’t been shared. Some 5,000 residential properties are planned in the future.
Largely undeveloped and used as a cattle ranch, the site was previously owned by W. Ray Wallace, CEO of Dallas-based Trinity Industries, who died in 2016. Part of the land has been developed as a residential neighborhood.
Founded in 1995 after buying out property company Wilcox, Cawley focuses on office, industrial, and multifamily projects around Texas. The firm has developed and acquired more than 11 million sq ft (1,021,933 sqm) of property. Cawley launched an industrial division around 2021, and previously sold 100 acres in Lancaster to Stack for a data center project.
“We look forward to sharing more updates about our latest acquisition, South Creek Ranch, as plans develop,” Cawley Partners said on LinkedIn.
Tim B. Keith, who leads Cawley’s land and digital platform team, added: "This property is truly a once-in-a-generation asset. We feel a deep responsibility to develop South Creek Ranch in a way that honors the family's legacy – and we are honored to take on the responsibility of shaping this land to attract businesses and benefit families for decades to come.”
The land deal was brokered by Icon Global.