Construction has begun on a Plano mixed-use development that is 170 years in the making.
The $750 million Haggard Farm development held a groundbreaking ceremony Dec. 11, and will begin vertical construction in “the coming months,” Stillwater Capital Managing Director Clay Roby confirmed.
At a glance
The 142-acre plot at the southeast corner of Spring Creek Parkway and Parkwood Boulevard was one of many bought by the Haggard family in the early 1850s, and it’s one of the last remaining undeveloped.
Discussions to develop the land began in the mid-2010s, and plans were eventually approved in 2021. After ongoing construction on infrastructure finishes, work on the first building, an apartment complex, will begin soon.
The Haggard family’s 150-year-old house still stands on the property. The house and the barn will be incorporated into the development, according to a city news release.
“Plano has always been really thoughtful about the people that created the city of Plano,” Mayor John Muns said. “They’re going to design it with the Haggard family in mind.”
Zooming out
Only 4% of Plano’s land is undeveloped, and the 142-acres planned for Haggard Farm is one of the city’s largest chunks left, Plano Planning Director Christina Day said.
“When you have that much land area that’s developed, you have so many stakeholders,” she said. “Every piece of land that’s undeveloped has a lot of neighbors, people that have a strong interest in what happens there.”
Muns added that the city has to be “intentional” when planning to fill the remaining open space.
“Green field development is very limited these days,” Muns said. “I think it’s really important for us to really be thoughtful and intentional on what we do with what we have left.”
Day said that the city’s future land use designation for the Haggard Farm space has not changed for around two decades.
“The city’s had a fairly consistent vision for this for at least 20 years or so. ... That patience really pays off over time because you end up developing something that works well and is functional because you did not just respond to the trends of the moment,” she said. “Things change, and you have to update your plan, but at the same time, consistency really lends to the overall quality.”
The specifics
Construction of a new road connecting Spring Creek to Parkwood across the development was finished late last year, Plano Lead Planner Donna Sepulvado said.
The new road, called Pinehaven Drive, encompasses more than 350,000 square for its total right of way, and it paved the way for future development. Day confirmed that the road had to be finished to start construction.
The first of two 350-unit multifamily developments, located just west of the park and just north of Pinehaven, is the first building to begin construction at Haggard Farm.
Phase 1 will also feature 187 townhomes on the south end of the property. A January zoning change expanded the townhomes from 13 acres to 18.8 acres by removing the administrative office buildings in the original plan, according to city documents.
The last piece of Phase 1 will be a retail district, anchored by an 8,000-square-foot restaurant and bar called The Almanac 1856 and a 16,000-square-foot event barn called Haggard Hall.
Sepulvado said plans for the retail district have been conditionally approved, and the developer is currently finishing engineering plans.
“It’ll have more of a nostalgic feeling to it, at least in the retail part,” Muns said. “I think it will bring something really unique. ... As big as Plano is, I don’t think we have anything like that.”
What’s next
The first phase of construction—including the apartment building, retail district and townhomes—is expected to be finished in 2027, per prior Community Impact reporting.
An office building just west of the first apartment complex was originally planned as part of the first phase but is currently on hold, Sepulvado said.
The second phase will include retail, the second multifamily building and a hotel, while the third phase will follow with additional retail and office development.
“Knowing some of the developers that have done work either locally or in Plano before, it gives us some real assurance that they’re going to do something that’s pretty special,” Muns said.
