Bye Bye Valley Ranch?

Where Tony Romo goes, do the Dallas Cowboys follow?

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and his wife, Candice, are building a new house in Glen Abbey, a lush, gorgeous and oh-so-secure gated community in Far North Dallas. Really, where else would they build their dream home?

Oil magnate Clint Murchison Jr., longtime owner of the Dallas Cowboys, bought the acreage that is now Glen Abbey for his personal estate, so he could raise his family there. His son’s wife, Lupe Murchison, sold the land to former mayor Bob Folsom to develop.

Glen Abbey, which abuts the Bent Tree Country Club, sits smack in the middle of Keller Springs Road, Westgrove Drive, Dallas North Tollway and Preston Road. So it makes sense the Dallas Cowboys would draw a line north from Romo’s home to their new practice facility.

Nothing has been confirmed, but my source, Frisco agent Brad Holden, says the Cowboys’ new training facility will land at Frisco Station, at the northwest intersection of the Dallas North Tollway and Warren Parkway. Holden says the football action will take place on a 317-acre site.

That’s where Houston-based Hines Development recently unveiled plans for 4.5 million square feet of office space, 40 acres of retail, two hotels (one full service and one limited service), single-family homes, and apartments and townhomes.

And, now, America’s team?

Word is that when the indoor facility is built, the Cowboys will share the complex with the Frisco Independent School District. This news has Frisco real estate agents fired up like firecrackers. FISD athletics can practice when the team’s not there, and they can hold playoff and championship games in the facility, as they do currently at the FC Dallas Stadium.

This, says Holden, will help Frisco lure large tournaments, playoff games and possibly bowl games.

Although Holden seems certain about this news, other news outlets are reporting this more cautiously. According to WFAA-TV Channel 8:

The land in Frisco that could become the next home of the Cowboys is located just off the Dallas North Tollway at Warren Parkway, not far from the Stonebriar Centre Mall. It would be the latest jewel in a Frisco sports crown that already includes the Dallas Stars, Frisco RoughRiders and FC Dallas.

Over at the Dallas Morning News, talk is when, not if:

Sources said work remains before the team severs ties with its home of 28 years at Valley Ranch in Irving to travel north. It’s doubtful an announcement will be made in the next few days or weeks. ... Preliminary indications are the Cowboys would make the move before the start of the 2016 season.

Seems like all the athletes are leaving Irving. The Cowboys built their new stadium in Arlington, and now the Byron Nelson is moving to a new golf course in South Dallas. Meanwhile, Frisco’s hot.

The original Murchison estate in Glen Abbey, where the Romos are building, is listed with Allie Beth Allman for $6,900,000.

Murchison estate in Glen Abbey in Far North Dalals

Photo courtesy of Allie Beth Allman & Associates

The original Murchison estate in Glen Abbey, where the Romos are building, is listed with Allie Beth Allman for $6,900,000.

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Moving north

$1.5 billion development with working farm takes root in booming Anna

Facebook/Anna

Anna is a fast-growing city north of Dallas.

The fast-growing Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Anna, once a small farming community, is poised for even more population growth with the addition of a $1.5 billion master-planned community.

Real estate investment firm Tellus Group broke ground Wednesday, March 25, on the more than 970-acre project, called Sherley Farms. Tellus is marketing the development, located in Collin County, as a wellness-focused, master-planned community with about 3,000 homes and an actively managed organic farm.

First-phase homebuilders are Bloomfield Homes, DRB Homes, Drees Custom Homes, Highland Homes, Homebound, Olivia Clarke Homes, and Perry Homes. The initial model homes will be finished in the spring of 2027.

The Sherley Farms site is five minutes from U.S. Highway 75 and near downtown Anna, which ranked fifth among U.S. cities for population growth from 2023 to 2024. As of July 1, 2024, Anna’s population stood at 31,986, up 14.6 percent from the same date in 2023 and up 183 percent from 2016. Anna’s population is projected to hit 100,000 by 2050.

One standout aspect of the project will be a 65-acre organic farm that supplies fresh produce. Tellus says the “working” farm will serve as an “agricultural anchor and gathering place.”

“Sherley Farms reflects our belief that the future of community development is rooted in wellness, connection, and a deep respect for the land,” says Craig Martin, founding partner and CEO of Tellus Group.

Facebook/Sherley Farms

Anna started as a farming community in 1883. But in recent years, it has transformed into a rapidly growing suburb with more than 7,700 households as of 2024.

Aside from homes, the first phase of Sherley Farms will include an amenity center with a resort-style pool and a portion of the planned green space.

“Sherley Farms is a meaningful investment in Anna’s future, expanding our tax base, attracting new residents, and driving long-term economic growth,” says Kevin Toten, Anna’s mayor pro tem. “This project will generate new economic activity, support local businesses, and strengthen Anna’s position as a destination for high-quality development in North Texas.”

In addition to Sherley Farms, Tellus is developing the Mosaic master-planned community in Celina, the Mirabella gated community in Prosper, and the Meraki master-planned community in Forney. Tellus was the principal developer of the $3 billion Windsong Ranch master-planned community in Prosper.

dallas suburbs anna master-planned community development