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The Dallas Dirt podcast with Candy Evans takes you inside the real estate news stories you’ll find daily on CandysDirt.com and beyond, giving you more insight, juicier details, and the inside scoop from one of Dallas’ most well-connected real estate personalities.
Speaker 11: Hi, I'm Candy
Evans, and this is Dallas Dirt.
Today, we are in a beautiful
new community, little bit north
of Dallas, called Landmark.
And I'm here with the folks from
Hillwood Development, who are developing
Landmark, and we're gonna tell you about
everything that's going on up here.
So Paige Austin is right
here, and Andrew Piper.
And both of them are with Landmark,
and they are working on this
amazing property that encompasses
3,500 acres of land up here.
We are, like, on the fringes of
this exciting new development, and
welcome to the show today, guys.
Yeah.
Thank you, Candy.
Thank you so much.
Speaker 5: so tell me about this land.
It's so beautiful up here, and I
know that the Perots bought this
in 1987, which is amazing vision.
Speaker 7: Right.
Speaker 5: But tell me about Pilot
Knob, and why it's called Pilot Knob,
and what you guys are doing up here.
Speaker 7: Sure.
So this, this property's, been
in the same three ownerships
for the past 100-plus years.
Wow, just three.
It's been meticulously maintained-
Mm-hmm ⦠for recreational
purposes, cattle purposes et cetera.
But one of the pinnacle aspects of the
property is Pilot Knob, which is the
second-highest point in, in Denton County.
Speaker 8: Wow.
Speaker 7: This was so well-known
and beloved by the city of Denton
and equally by us at Hillwood, that
we actually agreed at the very onset
that we would put Pilot Knob- Mm
into a conservation easement.
Wow.
So, this piece, this Pilot Knob, will
be in, conservation in perpetuity.
And once we, develop in and
around it, we'll open it up to
the public, and it'll be available
to hike, and bike, and explore.
There's a lot of folklore
around Pilot Knob.
There's a lot of stories about hidden,
treasure, and gold, and hideouts , Wow
you know, yeah.
There's a, there's a lot there.
So, really neat, uh, history and
stories associated with Pilot Knob.
But it was a, you know, a, a beacon, a
wayfinder for early settlers for pilots.
And so, you know, it really became
a landmark in this region, and
that's really ultimately how we came
upon the name Landmark- And I won-
was Pilot Knob
⦠Speaker 5: I think it's exciting
to talk about the fact that we have
3,500 acres here, but almost a third
is going to be preserved as your-
Speaker 7: right and y- with a,
a property this size, there, we
can only build so much at a time.
Mm-hmm.
So we're gonna, develop in phases.
Mm-hmm.
As we, open new phases, we'll open
up new pieces of the property.
But yes, in time, about 1,100
acres will be open space.
Mm-hmm.
They'll be intertwined from lowlands to
the uplands, and everything in between.
There'll be trails connecting
everything, both natural and paved.
Mm-hmm.
And just really, unparalleled
access to nature.
What you see out here is really more
reminiscent of what I think of, like,
hill country and- Yeah ⦠outside of
Austin- Yeah ⦠than North Texas, which
we're used to kind of a more flat terrain.
Wow.
there's really nothing like this
in North Texas that I'm aware
Speaker 5: No, and I did notice the
hills as I- Yeah ⦠as I came up here.
Yeah.
They're, they're beautiful.
There are bluffs.
Speaker 7: Yeah.
Speaker 5: Yes.
Speaker 7: Yeah.
And we've got some incredible lots,
available out here to, to purchase.
You know, we really have these
great strong connections between
our lowlands and our uplands.
Mm-hmm.
And so we consider really
every home as a trailhead.
Mm-hmm.
And so you can get on come out your
home, get on the street, and be,
to an open space or a park within,
you know, a five-minute walk.
Speaker 5: So is this the first
planned community in the Denton area?
Speaker 7: This is the, this is the first
large-scale master planned community.
Yeah.
there's really nothing to
date of this size and scale.
Magnitude.
Speaker 5: Mm-hmm.
Speaker 7: on top of the 6,000 planned
single-family homes, we have about 900
acres of retail, office, hospitality-
entertainment.
Speaker 5: And you did tell me a little
dirt here earlier- ⦠that there are
a lot of people wanting to get into
this corridor, a lot of retailers.
Mm-hmm.
Correct?
Speaker 7: You know, with the rooftops
that, that we're, supporting with our
developments, come c- commercial demand.
And so, we've had incredible success
to our south, with our Harvest
and Pecan Square communities.
Speaker 5: Harvest has been beautiful.
Speaker 7: Just incredible-
Yeah ⦠award-winning communities.
Pecan Square was Master Planned
Community of the Year nationally,
so we're very proud of our track
record in this, in this corridor.
And we've taken really all of our,
or all the things we've learned
from Harvest and Pecan Square and
applied them here to Landmark.
Speaker 5: Well, Hillwood does it right,
'cause you've had 40 years- Mm-hmm.
And Paige, you are doing the
marketing for Landmark, correct?
Speaker 6: Well, it's
building the lifestyle for-
Speaker 5: Mm-hmm.
So it's not really toâ¦
It's like she's the lifestyle expert.
Mm-hmm.
Which is another thing
that's a little bit unusual.
Yes.
There are not many, you know,
communities that actually have a
full-time lifestyle- Right ⦠person
whose, your job is to make sure that
the living is comfortable and fun
and exciting, and tell us about that.
Speaker 6: Yeah.
I help people make their
next best friend, right?
Mm-hmm.
So it's not just about events.
Mm-hmm.
But it really is the culture.
So we create the culture of the community
where people want to know their neighbor,
where they want to do life together, and
it starts with the lifestyle manager,
kind of the heartbeat of the community,
setting that example- For sure So 'cause
when you go to a neighborhood, people
typically just pull in their driveway,
and they go in their garage and go inside.
They don'tâ¦
It doesn't just happen.
You don't just walk into
neighborhoods like Harvest and
Pecan Square and see people
interacting and doing life together.
That doesn't typically naturally happen,
and so you have to have someone on site
to do that, to kind of cast that vision,
to cr- set the stage, to walk the walk.
It takes a lot of time, authenticity,
transparency, right, to do that kind of,
to bring life into a community like this.
You're Julie
Speaker 5: from The Love Boat.
Yeah,
Speaker 6: exactly.
Uh,
Speaker 5: uh,
Speaker 6: I have been called the
cruise, uh- The cruise ⦠the
cruise ship director.
Um, and what's fun about this
particular project, so we, weâ¦
It's not a cookie cutter program, right?
Mm-hmm.
It's really taking what the community
wants the owners who are living here-
Mm-hmm ⦠of interest- it's also tying
into the city that we're, that we're part
of, 'cause we want to build that, that
city pride here in, in, Landmark as well.
And so bringing in local artists,
bringing in local musicians from Denton,
being Denton first is very important.
And then this nature that we've been
talking about, we hired a director
of wellness and nature to, to add to
the lifestyle program here to help
people get comfortable being in nature.
Not everyone's comfortable going on a
trail where there's animals and bugs.
And so how can we, not just
saying, "Hey, we've got trails.
Go hike," how can we get people out there?
How can we get people to embrace it?
And so this director,
we call her Ranger Amy.
Ranger Amy.
Ranger Amy.
She is going to have guided walks,
guided trails, educational programs,
so every stage of life can really get
away from their computer screens and
their phones and embrace the nature
. And so we want to make sure that
people get to maximize that by having
Ranger Amy and having that program,
Speaker 5: In addition to you doing,
like, all these programs- Mm-hmm ⦠do
you actually have another full-time
person- Mm-hmm ⦠who is just in
charge of incorporating nature-
Into the community?
Speaker 6: She's- That's just another
amazing- ⦠a Texas Master Naturalist.
Wow.
I mean, she's an expert.
It's not just someone who likes to be
⦠outdoors,
Yeah.
So we wanted someone who actually
understands it, who knows it, who
loves it, who is certified and can
really add that, bring that value.
I
Speaker 5: think families would love
Speaker 6: Oh.
Yeah.
They're, we're already
hearing that from the people-
who bought here.
We ask, I tell, I try to meet them as,
Wow ⦠as they sign their paperwork.
What, what drew you to Landmark?
What, why do you want to live here?
And overwhelmingly, it was
the nature and the connection.
Nature.
And kind of getting back to the basics of
life- Mm ⦠when you can just go outside.
You know, normally kids come home, they
go inside, they play their computers,
but when we were kids, we went outside.
We rode our bikes.
And so we want to get back to that.
Yeah.
and so I think our lifestyle programming
working hand-in-hand, I think
that's gonna make that happen here.
Speaker 5: That's great.
And that's what I know I
hear from buyers they want.
They want to go to a place where they
can not have to worry about their kiddos-
Mm-hmm ⦠where they know they're safe.
And apparently you're gonna
have three schools here at some
point when you're built out?
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 7: Yeah.
So we're in, Denton ISD.
Okay.
who are great partners.
We've worked with them-
Mm-hmm ⦠in other communities
and built several schools.
We, have our first elementary
school identified here in our second
phase- That's exciting upcoming.
And then, yeah, we, we should have
probably another second elementary and
possibly a middle school as well, Mm-hmm.
for us, having schools integrated in
the community, there's nothing better.
Speaker 5: So who's buying here?
Tell me the people.
Are they from Dallas?
Are they from California?
I think California, Illinois,
and Ohio are the three
biggest- ⦠feeder states- Yeah.
Mm-hmm ⦠to Texas of buyers.
Speaker 7: So, so traditionally we've
seen across our portfolio about 20%
of our buyers are from out of state.
Speaker 5: Mm-hmm.
Speaker 7: After COVID we saw a
lot of flight from the coasts.
so California, the Northeast Midwest.
So that's a certainly a core component.
But then demographic-wise,
it's really a wide variety.
So we get a lot of the barbell type
demographics, so we get a lot of first
time homebuyers, young families, but then
we also get a lot of retirees, move downs.
More of the lock and leave type.
And really everything in between.
So, you know, in our world of master
planning, the more segmentations we
can offer and the more demographics
that we can hit, the better.
And, and I think what shows too in
the, in the mixture of our, of our
population- Mm-hmm ⦠it just,
it's more enriching when you have-
a wide variety of- Right ⦠of ages.
And family types.
It just it just makes a- It makes it
more rich ⦠a brighter community.
Speaker 5: And you tell me, Paige,
about some of these programs.
Sure.
Let's get into some specifics.
Yeah.
Speaker 6: Our first homeowner
doesn't move in until the end of June.
I was lifestyle manager at Harvest
for 11 years- before I moved here, so.
Speaker 5: Oh, you've
got lots of experience.
Speaker 6: So the programming, so as
I get to know the homeowners, that's
how it kind of builds our programming.
We do have things, so live music
is already on the schedule.
lots of live music.
guided hikes ⦠and doing
some programming like that.
mixology classes, kids painting classes.
so I'm already started some fall
planning with events like that,
but it's really gonna get to know
like, what do you want to see here?
What, what kind of events do you want?
I've already ⦠Progressive dinners,
we've already- Progressive dinners.
Yeah, we want to do a progressive dinner.
Wow.
That's
Speaker 5: a great way to get the
community- Mm-hmm ⦠together.
Speaker 6: right.
Speaker 5: And they get to
see each other's houses.
Landmark supper clubs.
That's right.
And see their decorating.
That's right.
That's a great idea.
Speaker 7: Paige does a great job
of kind of organizing these groups.
Mm-hmm.
And then once they're organized,
they really start to take off.
They take off.
Yes.
Yeah.
So it's really laying
the groundwork upfront
early- ⦠which Paige is great at.
. And then these groups just flourish.
Speaker 6: That's- And then bringing
in these local businesses from Denton
too to help enrich our programming.
Yeah.
And then making sure there's
something for every season of life.
So the kids are home during the day,
the stay-at-home moms maybe, or the
grandparents who watch the kids.
Mm-hmm.
We do Landmark Littles- where
the kids get some socialization.
The- Mm ⦠adults get some
adult conversation, you know?
, we do a 55 plus group.
Yeah.
So it's just them, and, and programming
that feels tailored to them.
Yeah.
And then we have families.
And, and obviously, every event,
there's something for everyone.
Yeah.
S- you know, and the way you lay
out an event is very strategic, too.
Mm-hmm.
Putting the live music and adult
beverages and the food trucks here,
putting the kids' stuff kind of out here.
So if you don't have children,
you can still come, listen to
the live music, enjoy the event.
So I try to make sure they're
all laid out properly.
There's a
Speaker 5: science to it.
Speaker 6: Yeah, there is a science to it.
Yeah.
And making sure your calendar, when
you're looking at it holistically-
do I have something for
every stage of life on it?
Mm-hmm.
That's something I, I look at
when I, before I finalize an event
calendar is, is there something
for everyone on this calendar?
That's great.
Speaker 7: And I think what's
really great about Paige's program-
Mm is always our charity and- Yes
give back.
Mm-hmm.
And so, we've, we've aligned ourselves
across the metroplex and all of our
communities with the food banks.
Mm.
And so many of Paige's, events are tied
to the food bank- Mm-hmm ⦠giving
back, and either donating money
or time or food to, to the local
Speaker 5: ventures.
And that's, that's a
Hillwood legacy, correct?
Speaker 7: sure.
Speaker 5: Mm-hmm.
Yes.
Speaker 6: And we try to partner with
just one, because it helps , there's
so many great worthy causes out there.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
But then you're only making a little
dent- Mm-hmm ⦠versus making
a really big impact in one area.
Mm-hmm.
And that's really, that's why we
choose one kind of philanthropic arm.
And so, and the way we do
it is very interactive.
You know, we had our teen council
create a Hoops for Hunger tournament.
Maybe it's a trail run.
You know, just trying to find
something creative . But what,
it's not just about donating money.
It, it's finding creative ways to
do that- Mm ⦠to make people wanna
give back and get involved, and then
go volunteer at the food shelter so
they understand and see where their
money's going and then education.
Yeah.
'Cause people think, I mean, I was one
of them, that , people who don't have
money to eat live on poor side of the
area , when it's n- it's not the case.
No.
Itâ¦
A husband could lose their job-
⦠And now they're food insecure.
Yeah.
You know, and they could be living
in the house next door to you.
And so kind of helping educate people
what food insecurity looks like-
Mm-hmm ⦠and why we do what we do,
Speaker 5: And speaking
of different levels- Yeah
I believe you've told me that they're,
gonna start at the 300 plus, , high
300s is your kinda entry level home-
Speaker 7: Yeah
⦠Speaker 5: at Landmark.
Speaker 7: I could not be more thrilled
with our builder lineup- Mm-hmm.
Mm ⦠here at Landmark.
we at Hillwood Communities have
been operating for 35 plus years.
Mm-hmm.
We have great relationships
with builders here locally.
We think we've got the best lineup in the
metroplex- Mm ⦠with nine home builders.
Some public, some private.
But great partnerships
we have 10 model homes.
our smallest lot size is what
we call a 40-foot wide lot.
Which just has a, a alley access.
Mm-hmm.
And then we go to a 45-foot front entry
access, 50-foot front, 60-foot front,
70-foot front, and then 70-foot rear.
That's our entry price
point is about, 360.
Speaker 5: Which is about the average
price of a home in Texas, around-
Speaker 7: Yeah ⦠and so that, that
would, be around, you know, 1,700 square
feet- Yeah ⦠one story two bedrooms.
So great, a great price
point to enter the community.
And then, we're going all the way
up to, close to a million dollars.
- Speaker 5: But 4,600 square feet-
How, how large will those lots be?
Speaker 7: Yeah, they're 70 by, 135.
Mm-hmm.
So i- they're, very good
size, well appointed.
So we've got a great, a great lineup.
Our model homes are, just
about all open now, and so-
Speaker 5: Oh
⦠Speaker 7: we're encouraging everyone to
come out and take a look and, Beautiful
⦠you know, find something you like.
Speaker 5: Have a progressive look, right?
That's right.
Progressive looks.
We're going together.
That's exactly right.
Speaker 7: Yeah.
Speaker 5: I love the fact that
you're getting into the affordability,
because that's- Yeah ⦠obviously
something that's very important in
our country, is there just are not
enough affordable homes for folks.
Mm-hmm.
And it looks like you
guys are doing your best.
I'm telling you, they're beautiful too.
We are sitting in one of them,
and we're gonna be showing
you- ⦠this Highland home, correct?
Yes.
It's a beautiful home.
I mean, the cabinetry is gorgeous.
Mm-hmm.
And the layout is splendid.
Speaker 7: Yeah, and I think, we're
trying to hit multiple different
segments- from an entry price
point, to move up and, and so on.
But just as much as we're trying to hit
a, a price point on the lower end of the
spectrum, we're also hitting a really
great- segment on high end as well.
Speaker 5: Right.
Speaker 7: Denton needs a lot of housing,
but that includes executive housing too.
Right.
So, there's really, again,
something for everybody here and we
encourage everyone to come out and
Speaker 5: I love the, the idea that
we are on the same parallel as Frisco.
So as you're thinking about where
Landmark is, kind of on the map,
just imagine Frisco north of Dallas.
This is, Landmark is north of Fort
Worth, which is a growing community.
Mm-hmm.
Right.
And I have so much faith in Fort Worth,
Speaker 7: And we're the
southern gateway into Denton.
so you know, what a great opportunity for
us to- to, again, partner with Denton.
We think there's a lot of opportunities
to align ourselves with Denton.
And find through lines
in the arts and culture-
and history, and really want
to encourage local businesses,
artisans to come down to Landmark.
and, you know, we want to be,
part of the fabric of Denton-
and not just on an island
in the- southwest corner.
Speaker 5: Well, let's talk a little
bit about your timeline though.
Sure.
Because you're just starting now.
You've got the model
homes- you're selling now.
Dirt is turning.
Yes.
Is this phase one, phase two, phase three?
Speaker 7: Yeah, so phase one well,
first of all, we bought the land
in the '80s, so it's been- I know.
It's amazing ⦠it's been sitting
fallow for, for many, many years.
Speaker 8: And
Speaker 7: I remember starting
and looking at Hunter Ranch.
At the time it was called Hunter Ranch.
And just, just thinking, you know,
"When are we gonna get there?"
Speaker 8: Yeah.
Speaker 7: And then a couple
years ago it just kind of hit
us with the, with the growth.
Speaker 8: the growth.
Speaker 7: that hey, we
need to kind of get ready.
And so back in, I'd call it 18,
19, we really started, working
with the city on infrastructure
planning- zoning, things like that.
We accomplished that in 2020.
We ended up breaking ground on
our first phase of single family
land 750 lots in, fall of '24.
And so we finished our lots in end
of '25, and we sold our lots to
our home builders, and now they've
started building their homes.
We've got model homes open.
We expect our first residents to move
in this summer, probably June or July.
Very exciting.
And once we're up and running,
you know, we'll have 10, 20, 30,
families moving in every month.
Speaker 5: Well, with nine builders,
you're gonna have some- activity here.
It's gonna- It's gonna, it's gonna get-
Speaker 7: That's right
⦠Speaker 5: filled
Speaker 7: So 750 lots
you know, nine builders.
Each builder has 70 plus
homes- opportunities.
We're already working on our second phase.
You know, as soon as you deliver
one phase, you've got to keep
your eye on the next phase.
Right.
And so our second phase
is teeing up nicely.
It'll be an extension of phase one.
Speaker 5: Okay.
And where is that?
North, south of here?
Speaker 7: It'll be on the north and west.
North and west.
Okay.
it'll be a continuation of the existing,
product offerings we have in phase one.
It'll include the, the elementary
school, and then we also
have a planned fire station-
a planned city park.
Speaker 5: Wow.
Speaker 7: Really a lot of
great, opportunities to-
Just like a whole community
⦠Speaker 5: continue
Speaker 7: to grow.
Speaker 5: Well, thank you so
much for having us out here.
I do know that there is a store that
is coming this way, one of thoseâ¦
Three letter, three letter acronym
including me.
I'm getting one right now.
HEB.
And when are they opening?
Speaker 7: Yeah.
You know, as developers of single
family land you know, we're, we're
usually out first, and we've got to
create the demand with our rooftops.
And then, you know,
retail typically follows.
In this case, with the just exponential
growth in this corridor we're a little
bit behind on commercial, and so now we're
having commercial activity really on the-
front end of our projects-
before we even deliver.
And so we were just thrilled that
H-E-B chose Landmark, to be a flagship,
here in this Denton County corridor.
Speaker 5: be right off of 35?
Speaker 7: So, so they're
at 35 and Robson Ranch Road.
Wow.
Speaker 5: where I got
Speaker 7: off.
Speaker 5: That's right.
Speaker 7: And, it'll be one of their
largest stores up here in North Texas.
They're under construction now.
they're vertical, and they expect
to open, you know, early '27.
So- again, what a great
amenity for our residents.
Yeah . Yeah, yeah.
You know, you really want it to
leave the community to go- Well,
Speaker 5: and Central Market,
H-E-B, they don't go to communities
where there's no development.
Right.
Let me tell you, they have done
their- homework and their- research,
and they know- what's coming.
So this is exciting.
I'm so glad to be here.
I wanna come back.
I wanna follow you guys- as you grow.
And I think it's really being done well.
And I'm, I'm so excited to
be able to present this to
our readers and our viewers.
That's, thank you.
So thank you.
Yeah.
Thanks.
Speaker 7: Thanks for coming out.
We're very, very proud
of, the work we've done.
Speaker 6: And
Speaker 7: again, our track
record in this, in this corridor-
Speaker 5: I wonder- Yes,
Speaker 6: right.
Speaker 5: Yeah.
But thank you, Candy.
You guys have a great day, and
we look forward to talking with
you some more about Landmark.
Speaker 6: Sounds great.
Thank you.
Speaker 5: This is Candy Evans again.
Thank you for being with us.
We kind of went a little bit away from
the studio this time, but I think it
was totally worth it to come up to
this beautiful community just north of
Dallas, just on the other side of Denton,
and a little bit north of Fort Worth.
And it is going to be one to
watch, and we're gonna be watching
it, so thank you and stay tuned.