In the land development business, we often get asked, “How in the world did you envision this layout for the subdivision? How did you visualize that this would be the most appealing streetscape and road routing?” For most people, it’s challenging to visualize streets and homes when they see a raw piece of vast, rugged land with trees and creeks. In some development projects it can be fairly easy because you may just be dealing with a flat, uninteresting piece of land, but that’s the complete opposite here at Cordillera Ranch.
The natural beauty and rolling terrain covered with massive heritage oaks and sweeping vista views across spring-fed creeks throughout Cordillera Ranch’s 8,700 acres provides us with a rare opportunity. Each new phase of development is meticulously designed and re-designed … and re-designed … until we feel like we have created the best possible neighborhood the land has to offer by maximizing what each lot’s attributes are, such as views, trees or privacy. Balancing the appeal of each home site with the desire for a memorable and inspiring streetscape is a mix of art and science — but mostly art. The end product should produce a positive emotional experience for the homeowner each time he or she drives into the neighborhood. Furthermore, since Cordillera Ranch is a low density community with almost 80% of the ranch remaining in native vegetation at full build-out, designing and developing with the “less is more” philosophy is an essential element of our approach.
The artistic design and development process has never been more on display than in the Springs of Cordillera Ranch. Our land design team has collaborated to plan a neighborhood that brings all of these strategies to life. Approximately a quarter of the way into construction of the streets, the site is already evolving into a community. We have peeled back some of the dense cedar to expose massive oaks, the flowing crystal clear water of Panther Creek and panoramic views across the Guadalupe River valley. It’s becoming easier to see how the looped trail system will interconnect the Panther Creek park, greenbelts, amenities and home sites. The countless hours spent walking the mile and a half of planned roads and weaving them around large oaks to preserve expansive boulevards is reaping rewards.
To see for yourself the layout unfolding in the Springs of Cordillera Ranch, stop in to our Visitor Center for a tour — there’s no better time than the fall to see the changing colors of the massive Cypress trees lining Panther Creek.

Regards,

Charlie Hill
Vice President
Cordillera Ranch