Houston Developer Bets 762 Acres on Liberty Hill's Sprawl Boom — 1,850 Homes on a Former Ranch

Johnson Development breaks ground on a master-planned community along the San Gabriel River, converting ranch land into suburban housing northwest of Austin. First lots to builders in 2027, homes by spring 2028.

Johnson Development, a Houston-based master-planned community builder, has broken ground on Freely, a 762-acre residential development on former Chapman Ranch land near Liberty Hill, northwest of Austin. The project will deliver 1,850 homes starting spring 2028, with lots going to six named builders in 2027. No home prices have been announced.

The site at 680 E. County Road 202, purchased in 2025, sits along 1.5 miles of north fork San Gabriel River frontage near the 183A toll road extension. More than 250 acres — over a third of the development — is earmarked as open space with trails, river access, a stocked fishing pond, and unpaved paths. Johnson is positioning Freely as an outdoor-lifestyle community, not just a subdivision. Amenities include a 7.5-acre recreation center with clubhouse, fitness center, pool, splash pad, pickleball courts, and playground. Construction on the amenity center is expected to be underway by the spring 2028 opening, though no completion date was given. Marketing director Kandis Rushing says the team anticipates boat rentals, fly fishing, and educational workshops along the river. Six builders — David Weekley Homes, DRB Homes, Empire, Meritage Homes, Scott Felder Homes, and Westin Homes — will offer homes on lots ranging from 45 to 70 feet wide. Model homes are roughly a year away, with construction expected to begin by end of 2027. About 15 acres are reserved for a future elementary school, though no timeline exists for that facility. Freely is Johnson's second Austin-area project after completing Bryson in nearby Leander in 2025. Vice president Tommy Tucker framed the bet in demographic terms: Williamson County is the state's eighth fastest-growing county, and Liberty Hill sits in the sweet spot — close enough to Austin's job centers, far enough for lower land costs and what Tucker calls an "authentic Hill Country vibe." The development pattern is familiar across Central Texas: large ranch parcels converting to master-planned communities along toll road corridors, absorbing population growth that Austin's urban core cannot or will not house. Freely adds to the cumulative strain on Liberty Hill ISD, local water infrastructure, and county roads — costs that typically surface years after the first residents arrive. The bet is straightforward: continued population growth into Williamson County justifies converting 762 acres of ranchland into suburban housing. Whether the infrastructure follows the rooftops, or whether buyers absorb those costs through taxes and commute times, is the question that master-planned community math always defers.