Published: Tue, 01/23/24
San Antonio Express-News
By Madison Iszler
Staff writer
Two Texas companies have bought 800 undeveloped acres in the Briggs Ranch master-planned community on the booming far West Side, with plans for roughly 2,000 homes.
The buyers — San Antonio-based Heartwood Development Co. and Johnson Development Services, an affiliate of Houston-based Johnson Development Corp.— said Highland Homes, Perry Homes, Toll Brothers and David Weekley Homes will build the homes. To date, only custom homes have been built in Briggs Ranch, the companies said.
Development of the site near U.S. 90 and Texas 211 is expected to begin this year, with sales starting in 2025.
“This property offers many advantages — an excellent location near Highway 90 and TX 211 that is about 30 minutes from downtown, strong schools within Medina Valley Independent School District and proximity to Briggs Ranch Golf Club, which is one of the top courses in Texas,” Michael Cox, president of Johnson Development Services, said in a statement.
It will be the sixth, and largest, community in the San Antonio area spearheaded by Johnson Development Services and Heartwood Development. The companies also partnered on Cinco Lakes, Davis Ranch, Winding Brook and Willow Point in San Antonio and Overlook at Creekside in New Braunfels.
It will add to a slew of construction on the far West Side, which has long been a dominant area for builders.
The far West Side has an abundance of land to develop, though that’s shrinking, and families are drawn to schools in the Medina Valley Independent School District and Northside Independent School District. Also, it provides access to jobs at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Port San Antonio and other employment hubs. Retail has followed the rooftops, with grocery stores, restaurants and clothing shops opening.
Builders began construction on 3,509 homes in the area from fourth quarter 2022 to third quarter 2023, accounting for about 25.9% of homes started across the metropolitan area during that time frame, according to real estate data firm Zonda. Davis Ranch, Valley Ranch and Riverstone at Westpointe were among the most active subdivisions, with 717 homes started over that period.
