‘We’re not going to be country anymore’: New Fairview to Gain 5K Residences Soon

New Fairview is regarded as a city — a Wise County exurb of 1,386 people as of the 2020 Census and the 810th-most populated city in Texas. It’s about 30 miles northwest of Fort Worth off U.S. 287 north of Rhome.

You get to New Fairview by going east from U.S. 287 on Illinois Street, past a roadside grocery and liquor store that’s adjacent to the building with a rusted old car on its rooftop, and past the Dollar General on Farm Road 407.

The city encompasses approximately 16 square miles.

New Fairview is on the cusp of getting a lot denser, however. Frisco-based Rockhill Capital and Investments has acquired Shoop Ranch, a 1,807-acre plot of land where it plans to build a mixed-use project that will include 4,150 single-family homes, 900 multifamily residents, shops, restaurants, offices, public spaces, and government buildings.

“We’re not going to be country anymore,” the clerk at the roadside store said before hanging up the phone to wait on customers.

New Fairview is indeed in a rural setting, but it’s close to expansive residential and commercial development. Residents have easy access to Alliance Airport, Texas Motor Speedway, LBJ National Grasslands, various public lakes, and several business centers.

“The [city] council and staff are focusing on maintaining our current rural feel, natural elements, and open space, while creating a development and city center where people can live, work and play,” Ben Nibarger, New Fairview’s city administrator, said in a statement.

Nibarger said the city and Rockhill have been planning the development for about a year.

The Shoop Ranch property features more than 1.5 miles of Oliver Creek, which offers fishing locations. Rockhill plans to retain the area around the creek and its tributaries as public green space. The proposed master plan includes pedestrian hiking and biking trails.

Rockhill will help fund infrastructure improvements to support the project, such as water, sewer, and high-speed internet upgrades. Infrastructure construction for the master plan is scheduled to begin in two to three years. A timeline for the rest of the project was not disclosed by either New Fairview or Rockhill.

Terms of the Shoop Ranch purchase were not disclosed. But the property had previously been marketed for more than $13.5 million, according to The Dallas Morning News.

“New Fairview is in a position for growth, and we are working with the city to thoughtfully plan a thriving community that will satisfy the needs for a city hub and additional housing, while also celebrating the area’s natural beauty,” Jennifer Alexander, project manager at Rockhill Capital and Investments, said in a statement.

Here’s hoping no one touches the rusted car at the roadside stop.