By JIM HARDIN
Herald-Banner Staff
Royse City —
Bearpen Creek in Royse City is moving forward, but construction of the first 100 homes in the 960-acre development still may be two years away.
Matt Mildren, development manager for Dallas-based Provident Realty Advisors Inc., said the project now is in the “entitlement process” — defined as the legal method of obtaining approvals for the right to develop property for a desired use.
In December, the city council approved the annexation of 494.82 acres in the planned subdivision, which is about one mile east of Farm to Market 35 and north of Hunt County Road 2526. With the recent annexation, the entire Bearpen development is in the city limits of Royse City.
Now, Mildren said, officials are involved in numerous “entitlement” steps that include securing the necessary water and sewer agreements and meeting other infrastructure requirements.
The initial phase will involve the development of 100 homesites. Future plans call for the development of 3,000 homesites, but Mildren said it may take 15 years for the project to reach that magnitude.
“How we proceed will depend on the economy and housing market,” Mildren said.
During a city council workshop in December, City Manager Bill Shipp said the voluntary annexation of 494.82 acres was one of three conditions called for in legislation for Bearpen Creek’s municipal utility district.
The two other conditions, according to Shipp, involve the Certificate of Convenience and Necessity — or water rights for the area — and the development of infrastructure for the first 100 homes.
The Bearpen project is not Provident’s only stake in Royse City’s future. Provident also owns about 125 acres in the area of Interstate 30 and Erby Campbell Boulevard. The acreage includes the site of a planned Walmart store.
Provident also is the developer of Woodcreek in Fate.
