FORNEY, Texas — Read this story and more North Texas business news from our partners at the Dallas Business Journal
Builders are cranking up pre-sales and opening their model homes in Walden Pond, a large, new multi-phased residential community in Forney.
When fully developed, Walden Pond to the east and west of FM 548 will encompass 214 acres and offer 2,055 single-family home sites across three sections: East, West and South, according to the developer, Farmers Branch-based Centurion American Development Group. The development near Lake Ray Hubbard and east of Dallas will offer green space, parks, an amenity center, hike and bike trails, and is zoned for the Forney Independent School District, the company's website states.
Homebuilders will differ between the three sections. Brightland Homes and Lennar have built homes in Walden Pond East while UnionMain Homes and Pacesetter will build homes in Walden Pond West. Lennar will also build homes in the West section of the community.
Dallas-based UnionMain has begun pre-sales and plans to open its model home June 10, according to a new release from the builder. Walden Pond West will have a total of 1,030 lots developed over three phases, and UnionMain expects to be the first builder to open sales in the section.
Located at 2209 Walden Pond Blvd, the UnionMain piece of the community will offer a mix of floor plan options. Buyers can choose 40-foot lots with homes varying from 1,511 square feet to 2,563 square feet with one or two stories; or 50-foot lots with seven floor plan selections spanning 1,861 square feet to 3,276 square feet.
UnionMain has completed its first 50 lots in the community and plans to build a total of 200 homes between the three phases, the company said in a May 22 announcement. Home prices will start at $309,990, and the development will also feature parks, hiking and biking trails and a centrally located community center.
“We are so pleased to add to our unique collection of affordable communities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that offer the ideal blend of suburban living and modern conveniences,” UnionMain CEO Tim Gehan said in a statement. “Folks will thoroughly enjoy the stress-free buying experience at Walden Pond – from the initial consultation where needs and budget are prioritized through the final walk-through of their beautiful new home.”
The Dallas-based homebuilder was founded in 2017 and controls roughly 1,200 lots in North Texas. Tim Gehan, a longtime prominent homebuilder in North Texas, founded UnionMain after the sale of Gehan Homes to Japan-based Sumitomo Forestry Co.
Walden Pond isn’t the firm’s first residential foray into Forney. UnionMain also developed one hundred 60-foot lots for its Brookville Estates housing community at 103 Heritage Hill Drive. Home prices start at $374,990, and floor plans range from three- to five-bedroom options.
The company is also building a 161-acre planned community in Fate. Edgewater is located about a mile southeast of Interstate 30 and will have about 650 total homes.
Forney’s new-home market is being driven by booming population growth, even by North Texas standards. The city ranked as the 10th fastest growing city in the country in 2022, with a population of about 35,500, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures.
