A vast stretch of pastureland in eastern Hays County is on track to become one of Central Texas’ biggest new neighborhoods. The 1,736-acre tract known as The Ridge has been sold to Austin-based Wilson Capital and Carlton Capital Investments, and the new owners say they are planning a master-planned community with room for more than 6,200 homes. The property sits along State Highway 21, roughly 20 minutes from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and about 30 minutes from downtown Austin.
The sale from Walton Global to the Austin buyers was first detailed by the San Marcos Record, which outlined the scale of what is headed for the once-rural corridor. The Ridge’s master plan calls for approximately 6,218 single-family homes, about 119 acres of parks and open space, more than 30 acres of amenity centers, about 60 acres slated for commercial and multifamily uses, and roughly 57 acres reserved for elementary, middle and high school sites. Lot widths are planned to range from 40 to 60 feet, according to the report.
The buyers did not disclose what they paid for the land, but they are clearly treating it as a long-term play on the region’s growth. Taylor Wilson of Wilson Capital said the project reflects the firm’s continued commitment to the Austin market, according to AltsWire, and industry transaction listings show the deal closed in late June.
Local approvals show early momentum
Pieces of the broader plan are already surfacing in local government paperwork. Hays County Commissioners Court in late June signed off on preliminary plans for a section dubbed The Ridge West at Camino Real, a roughly 532-acre piece of the project that is planned for about 2,784 homes across 30 phases. The Houston Chronicle reported the county action and noted that the Camino Real parcel is located near High Road and Great Northern Road in Kyle, a sign that at least part of the master plan is already being ushered toward permitting.
Schools, roads and utilities still unresolved
Despite the high-profile land purchase, the developers have not yet rolled out a schedule for major infrastructure work, the first wave of homebuilding, or the timing for the school campuses reserved in the master plan. Local school districts are already bracing for what is coming. Hays Consolidated ISD voters approved nearly $1 billion in bonds in May 2025 to add capacity and build new campuses as the county prepares for continued population gains, according to KUT…