Cole Ranch to honor Denton’s past, build upon its future

Johnson Development, a prolific residential developer with 22 communities across Texas, has begun work on Cole Ranch, a 3,100-acre community in Denton designed to preserve the land’s history, honor the legacy of the family who called it home for nearly a century and create a community that will accommodate approximately 4,300 homes.

Rather than starting with a blank slate, Johnson Development is drawing inspiration from the land and the Cole family.

“The Cole family feels very passionately about the land and started us on this trajectory of doing what we could to preserve as much as possible,” Johnson Development Vice President of Marketing Haley Peck said. “Our goal is to honor that commitment by protecting its natural character, preserving its history and thoughtfully incorporating both into the community we're creating."

One example of this is Johnson Development's partnership with the University of North Texas to carefully develop the native prairie at Cole Ranch. Through the UNT Cole Ranch Development Project, the university is helping preserve prairie grasses and other plants as well as offering guidance that will authentically help integrate the natural heritage of the ranch into the urban design of the community.  

“This is an important piece of land both historically and ecologically,” said Tommy Tucker, Johnson Development Vice President of Business Development for Central and North Texas. “We want to honor this legacy by protecting the native habitat as much as we can while developing a community that will boast a lifestyle centered around nature and the local ambiance that is uniquely Denton. We are grateful for the help of professors and students at the University of North Texas, another Denton institution.”

Beyond using transplanted native grasses throughout the community, an existing wall near the historic homestead will be among other items preserved, and its stones, colors and style will serve as inspiration for features elsewhere, such as the stone walls throughout the community.

How will Cole Ranch bring people together?

Life at Cole Ranch—which will also have ample commercial and mixed-use offerings—will center around opportunities for residents to connect. A lifestyle director will organize events, groups and clubs for residents based on shared interests, while larger public events will invite people from throughout Denton to experience the land.

That approach reflects how the property was used for generations. After moving his family to Denton in 1932, MT Cole developed a working ranch and regularly welcomed neighbors onto the property. Annual cattle round-ups and harvest picnics drew more than 100 guests, establishing the ranch as a gathering place. Events such as these will serve as inspiration for modern-day festivities.

To help residents and visitors further connect with the family’s history, a future space currently called the Hub is planned to feature sales and HOA offices, co-working and community spaces, and displays sharing the story of the land and the family who shaped it.

“We love what the Cole family is about and what they've done, so we definitely want to celebrate that and tell those stories to the next generation and to many generations to come,” Tucker said.

How will Cole Ranch connect residents with Denton?

Cole Ranch's connections will extend beyond its boundaries through partnerships and initiatives designed to strengthen ties with the surrounding community.

In addition to working with UNT to be a thoughtful steward of the land, Cole Ranch is launching Doings in Denton, an initiative inspired by a local publication from the 1950s and '60s. It will highlight local businesses, including longtime family-owned establishments and introduce them to residents as Denton continues growing.

"Through Doings in Denton, Cole Ranch is celebrating the local businesses, people and places that give Denton its unique character, introducing longtime establishments to new audiences and encouraging residents to support the businesses that have helped shape the city,” Peck said.

Cole Ranch will also use the Cole Record to share the stories behind the names, places and traditions that will become part of the community. Together, those efforts are designed to give future residents a community connected to its landscape, its neighbors and the larger Denton area.

Those interested in learning more about Cole Ranch can find more information here.

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The above story was produced by Senior Multi-Platform Journalist Sydney Heller of Community Impact's Storytelling team, with information solely provided by the local business as part of their "sponsored content" purchase through our advertising team.