Hines Seeks Taxing District for Fort Worth Megadevelopment

30 October 2025

Hines sees fields of master-planned communities blooming on the western edge of Fort Worth.

The Houston-based global real estate giant is setting its sights on a 1,476-acre development that could reshape the city’s growth along the Parker County line. The firm began talks with Fort Worth officials about a potential development agreement for Brown Ranch, a vast tract in the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, the Dallas Business Journal reported.

Hines declined to comment on specifics, but the proposal signals the firm’s ambitions to extend Fort Worth’s suburban frontier west of its fast-growing Walsh Ranch corridor.

Fort Worth is weighing an agreement that would allow Hines to create a municipal utility district, or MUD, to finance infrastructure for the project. MUDs — once used primarily in rural areas — have become a common tool for developers building large-scale suburban communities, helping cover the steep costs of roads, utilities and other essentials via property taxes and assessments paid in part by new residents on the debt service of the infrastructure.

Under the proposed terms, Hines would help fund connections to Walsh Ranch Parkway and Old Weatherford Road, while giving the city the right and obligation to provide water and sewer services. The plan also calls for a mix of residential, commercial and open-space uses, aligning with Fort Worth’s long-term annexation and land-use goals.

City Council recently approved a similar agreement with Green Brick Partners for the 858-acre Shelton Ranch project in north Fort Worth. The Hines pact hasn’t yet been scheduled for a vote, but council member Michael Crain signaled support, saying the city should stay proactive in shaping its western expansion.

Hines manages $91.8 billion in assets and oversees 156 active developments worldwide. Brown Ranch would mark the firm’s next big move in North Texas. Earlier this year, the firm sold seven DFW master-planned communities to Starwood Capital Group in an $800 million deal.

The proposed project joins a growing roster of mega-developments transforming Fort Worth’s outskirts — including the $5.1 billion Carver Ranch and $5 billion Cole Ranch in Denton County.

— Eric Weilbacher