Dive Brief:
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Developer Republic Property Group’s 7,200-acre Walsh master planned community in Fort Worth, TX, is set to include a “makerspace” workshop, which will feature a wood shop and an electronics lab as well as access to computer design software, 3-D printers and laser cutters.
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Designed in collaboration with TechShop co-founder Mark Hatch, it is expected to offer classes for the MPC’s residents, including adults and children, as well as local businesses and members of the surrounding community.
- Other amenities planned for Walsh include a gym, pool, recreational lake, hiking trails and walking paths. It is expected to contain more than 15,000 homes, priced from the high $200,000s, once completed.
Dive Insight:
The inclusion of a makerspace in the Walsh MPC comes as developers look beyond clubhouses and golf courses when seeking amenities that appeal to buyers looking for more diversified living areas.
Texas is becoming a hotbed of MPC activity as it has recovered quicker than most other states from the recession, which has helped boost in-migration to its robust job centers. Real estate consultancy RCLCO reported earlier this month that Texas accounted for the biggest slice of the MPC market nationwide in 2016 at 38%, up from 10% in the 1990s.
Joining Walsh in the Dallas-Fort Worth market is developer Gateway Holdings’ forthcoming $1 billion, 2,000-acre MPC in Forney, TX.
Houston is another of the state’s major markets seeing continued activity around these large-scale community developments. The Woodson's Reserve MPC in Spring, TX, near Houston, opened its eighth section last month, while Canadian developer Empire Continental Land broke ground on a 540-unit community in nearby League, TX, in December.
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