Northlake’s quiet stretch along FM 156 is about to get a very big neighbor. Forestar has secured approvals for a 281-acre master-planned community on the east side of FM 156, just south of Downe Road and just outside town limits. The plan calls for a mostly single-family neighborhood, a bit of neighborhood retail, and large preserved open spaces. Town documents and developer maps put the site directly across from Hillwood’s sprawling AllianceTexas industrial complex, a backdrop that is almost certain to shape how this new community is pitched and priced.
What Town Leaders Just Approved
The Town of Northlake’s planning packet lays out the basics: an approximately 281-acre tract, with about 82 acres inside town limits and roughly 199 acres in the town’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, to be annexed and rezoned as a Mixed-Use Planned Development. The packet notes that the MPD carries a maximum density of three units per gross acre, which tops the project out at 845 housing units, and anticipates a mix of single-family lots with limited neighborhood commercial uses, according to the Town of Northlake.
Layout, Lots And Open Space
Preliminary maps reviewed by reporters show roughly 158 acres reserved for open space and floodplain preservation, giving the project a sizable green buffer through the middle and edges of the site. The developer has indicated it plans to leave townhomes out of the mix in favor of detached single-family lots. Forestar also told council representatives it expects to keep many lot widths at 30 feet or more and is planning a few small commercial nodes inside the community, according to The Real Deal.
Across The Road From 27,000 Acres Of Industry
The site sits on the opposite side of FM 156 from Hillwood’s AllianceTexas, a 27,000-acre mixed-use development that has turned into a magnet for manufacturers and logistics firms, according to Hillwood. Industrial momentum around Northlake is not slowing: MP Materials has picked a 120-acre site in town for its new “10X” rare-earth magnet manufacturing campus, a project the company says will create more than 1,500 jobs and boost domestic manufacturing capacity, per MP Materials.
Who Is Forestar, Exactly
Forestar (USA) Real Estate Group, the land-development outfit steering the Northlake project, is majority owned by D.R. Horton and focuses primarily on developing and selling finished residential lots to homebuilders. That structure, along with Forestar’s lot-driven business model and its relationship with D.R. Horton, is spelled out in the company’s regulatory filings, according to Forestar's 2025 10-K.
What Happens Before Shovels Hit Dirt
Coverage and city records indicate the town reached a development agreement with the Downe family and Forestar in early March, and reporters note that the council completed rezoning on the tract last month, according to The Real Deal. With those key approvals in place, Forestar can move into platting, utility installation, and drainage improvements before finished lots are offered to builders. As engineering and permitting documents start to roll in, neighbors and town staff are expected to zero in on timing, traffic impacts, and how the project’s extensive open-space areas are managed and preserved over the long haul.
