Texas state park to be turned into multimillion-dollar homes, private golf course

FAIRFIELD, Texas – A privately-owned property that contained a Texas state park will be developed into a golf course and a multimillion-dollar home community, according to a recent report from the Dallas Morning News.

Fairfield Lake State Park is a 1,460-acre park within a 5,025-acre property in Freestone County.

The state first leased the park from Texas Utilities in 1971-1972 and opened it in 1976.

Texas-based energy company, Vistra, put the entire acreage on the market several years ago for $110.5 million and according to the paper, it’s been purchased by a developer. The listing currently shows the land is under contract.

“After shuttering the power plant in 2018, Vistra placed a 5,000-acre tract — including the state park land — up for sale,” the Star-Telegramreported. “Officials with Texas Parks and Wildlife have repeatedly said that the state didn’t initially have enough money to purchase the full 5,000 acres, and Vistra was uninterested in selling just a piece of the land.”

Texas Parks and Wildlife received notice Monday that the 50-year-old lease will end in June of this year, chairman of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission Arch “Beaver” Aplin III told the paper.

Aplin III told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that the developer, Dallas-based firm Todd Interests, indicated that there was no more room for discussion about the park land.

The property is a roughly 90-minute drive from Dallas.

Hortenstine Ranch Company partner/broker Blake Hortenstine previously told KSAT “a water asset of this magnitude is virtually impossible to find anywhere in the lower 48 states, and combined with the land development possibilities and amenities, is the only offering of its kind.”

Fairfield Lake, the largest private lake in Texas, is also part of the property. The lake is estimated to cover 2,400 acres with 21 miles of shoreline and is thought to be roughly 50 feet deep.

An array of wildlife can also be found on land, animals like whitetail deer, armadillos, river otters, beavers, squirrels, foxes, bobcats, songbirds and bald eagles live on the property. The listing states that 180 species of birds including herons, raptors, songbirds, shorebirds and waterfowl also live within the property boundaries.

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