Luxury home development planned northeast of Lake Weatherford

May 20—A nearly 1,000-acre development off Pearson Ranch Road that has been in the planning stages got the green light last week to move forward with a development agreement and voluntary annexation into the city of Weatherford.

LaSalle Cattle Company, the owner of the little more than 996 acres northeast of Lake Weatherford, is looking to build a luxury community with more than 700 lots, an equestrian facility and amenity center, in edition to the ranch homestead on which the property owner will remain.

The concept is similar to that of the Spanish Oaks development in Austin, a large, high-end residential neighborhood and mixed use community, developer Jack Creveling told council members.

"The site itself has several different view sheds that we'll take advantage of," he said, adding other areas are hilly and wooded with limestone bottom creeks. "We'll really focus on horse trails, hike and bike trails ..."

The center of the community will house a private club, producing high-end cuisine, with the other heavy focus on equestrian activities, as stables and arenas are also planned.

Creveling added a fish camp, with stocked fishing lakes, will encourage other outdoor pursuits.

The annexation means the city of Weatherford will provide public services — water, utilities, police — to the ranch, with City Manager James Hotopp clarifying the city does have available water supply to serve the development.

"That's one of the things we commonly hear ... this will not take away from anything that already exists," he said. "There are things we planned for decades out. Our utility staff was already making plans for future things well beyond this development."

Mayor Paul Paschall noted several things that made the development attractive to him.

"Preserving our western heritage, family values, being the 'Cutting Horse Capital of the World — this supports all those," he said. "And the person that owns this is going to stay right in the heart of it."