What Is Cole Ranch in Denton, TX?

Cole Ranch is a $5 billion, 3,100-acre master-planned community in southwest Denton. The land has belonged to the Cole family since Miner Thomas “MT” Cole bought it as working ranchland in the 1930s, and it spent nearly a century in agriculture before the City of Denton annexed the property in 2006.

In October 2025, Johnson Development, a Houston-based developer with a long track record building master-planned communities across Texas, entered a formal partnership with Cole Ranch Co. and Denton Range to lead the buildout. The full community will include roughly 4,400 single-family homes alongside 156 acres of commercial space, a 55-acre business park, and four future Denton ISD school campuses. At full buildout, it’s comparable in scale to Landmark by Hillwood next door, and together the two developments are reshaping the southwest side of Denton.

Where Is Cole Ranch Located in Denton?

Cole Ranch is in southwest Denton, west of Interstate 35W and south of Denton Enterprise Airport. It’s adjacent to Landmark by Hillwood on the same I-35W corridor. Both communities are part of the same push that’s converting what was mostly ranch and farmland into one of the largest new-construction corridors in Denton County.

From Cole Ranch, I-35W puts you about 10 miles south of downtown Denton and roughly 30 to 35 miles north of Fort Worth.

When Can I Buy a Home in Cole Ranch?

Home sales are projected to begin in 2027, and builder names and prices will be announced closer to the launch, according to Johnson Development.

If you’re planning a relocation with a 2027 or later timeline, Cole Ranch is worth monitoring. If you need to be in a home by late 2026, Landmark by Hillwood has nine builders selling now and model homes opening in Spring 2026.

What Will the Amenities at Cole Ranch Look Like?

The standout feature is the green space. The master plan preserves about 1,200 acres, roughly 40% of the entire property, as open space. For reference, most master-planned communities in North Texas set aside 15 to 25% for green areas. Cole Ranch is well above that range.

The trail system runs over 26 miles and winds through heavily wooded sections along Hickory Creek, one of the main natural corridors through this part of southwest Denton. Two water features anchor the community, including a 32-acre waterway and a 13-acre lake that MT Cole built on the property decades ago and has been there ever since.

Two amenity centers are planned, along with a 50-acre city park and smaller neighborhood parks distributed throughout. The commercial zone covers 156 acres, with an additional 55-acre business park, and will eventually bring daily shopping and local employment inside the development. Both come in later phases, so don’t expect walkable retail at opening in 2027.

What Are the Property Taxes at Cole Ranch?

Cole Ranch is inside the City of Denton, so the full city, county, and school district rate stack applies. In 2025, those combined to roughly 2.0%, accounting for Denton County, the City of Denton, and Denton ISD after voters approved a 5-cent rate increase in November 2025. On a $450,000 home with the $140,000 homestead exemption applied to the school district portion, you’re looking at about $7,300 per year at that base rate.

The potential downside here is the Cole Ranch Improvement District No. 1 (CRID). This special district was created by the Texas Legislature when the community was established and is authorized to fund public infrastructure including roads, water, sewer, and drainage throughout the development. As of early 2026, the CRID has not yet levied a tax, but it will need to eventually, since that’s how MUD/PID infrastructure bond repayment works in Texas. When that levy begins, documentation from the district’s creation references a rate around 55 cents per $100 of assessed value, which would push the effective rate from about 2.0% to roughly 2.5%. On a $450,000 home, that adds about $2,500 per year to the bill.

This is standard for new master-planned communities in North Texas. The infrastructure Cole Ranch is building has to be paid for somehow, and MUD/PID districts are how that gets done. The important thing is knowing it’s coming and building it into your budget before you move ahead with a purchase.

For a full breakdown of how Denton’s tax stack works, see this post property taxes in Denton, TX.

What School District Is Cole Ranch In?

Cole Ranch is inside Denton ISD. The master plan reserves 206 acres for four future district campuses: two elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school.

Until those campuses open, Cole Ranch students will attend existing Denton ISD schools. Denton ISD holds an A- rating on Niche. For everything you need to know about the district, including boundaries, enrollment, and what parents typically ask, see Denton ISD explained.

How Does Cole Ranch Compare to Landmark by Hillwood?

Both communities are in southwest Denton, west of I-35W, served by Denton ISD, and will carry a special improvement district on top of the base property tax rate. That’s where the similarities end for now.

Landmark is selling homes today. Nine builders are active in Phase 1, prices run from about $400,000 to $1 million, and model homes are opening in Spring. If you want a new master-planned community in Denton in 2026, Landmark is your option.

Cole Ranch doesn’t open for home sales until 2027, and no builders or prices have been announced yet. The acreage is similar at 3,100 acres versus Landmark’s 3,200, and the amenity vision is comparable in scale. Cole Ranch leans harder into nature with roughly 40% of the site set aside as preserved open space. Landmark’s approach mixes residential, retail, and parkland across its acreage, with H-E-B anchoring a 45-acre commercial center that’s already underway. Cole Ranch’s commercial development will come in later phases.

For a broader look at what’s building in Denton, see new construction in Denton, TX. For the full relocation picture, [moving to Denton, TX] covers everything from neighborhoods to commutes to cost of living.