Thirty years after the fictional Ewing family left the famed Southfork Ranch after filming on the hit TV show “Dallas” wrapped, the property is one step closer to acquiring a luxury home site near the ranch mansion.
Farmers Branch-based Centurion American Development Group, which has owned 241 acres since 2022, received unanimous approval from Parker’s city planning and zoning commission to move forward with plans to develop 89 two-acre parcels beside the Southfork Ranch mansion.
Centurion still needs to present its plans to the Parker City Council, but the decision made Thursday by the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission advances the company’s goal of preserving the legendary town’s traditions and revitalizing the site for years to come.
“This property is very unique because it’s so historic and there are so many people who want to build here,” said Shawn Terry, vice president of rights for Centurion American, “so we’re going to move the longhorn cattle closer to the road so the people who live there can look out. We’ll run it as a ranch, like in the show, and we’ll continue to have tours and events.”
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Terry said there’s also a chance that streets will be named after Dallas characters by the time “Centurion” is completed. [In fact, there are already two subdivisions in North Texas named after characters from the show, from J.R. Avenue to Sue Ellen Avenue.]
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Terry said Centurion will need to consult with the Parker City Council to determine which companies will help bring the idea to fruition, but the company plans to have a list of potential builders to present to the council soon. A builder and timeline for the housing project is expected to be selected in the coming months.
One piece of feedback Terry has heard from Parker residents is potential flooding and drainage issues that he would like to address when the time comes, he said.
“One of the things we have to do is an extensive engineering layout, once the zoning is done, we’ll move into the engineering phase and look at the topography, the drainage and fix all of that,” Terry said. “We can’t do everything the residents want, but as we design the phases we’ll take that seriously and incorporate solutions into the design.”
During their presentation to the Planning and Zoning Commission, Centurion leaders also laid out a grand vision for maintaining and enhancing tourism at the site by building a 5,900-square-foot South Fork Mansion, a 63,000-square-foot conference and event center and a new rodeo arena.
Despite being located about 26 miles north of Dallas, Southfork Ranch is one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions as it was the filming location for the hit TV show “Dallas” from 1978 to 1989. The property has been renovated and changed ownership several times since then.
The cast of “Dallas” from Southfork (File)
In 1991, shortly after Dallas went off the air, San Francisco-based Glenfed Financial Corporation purchased the property at a post-foreclosure auction for $3.15 million. The following year, Arizona entrepreneur Rex Morgan purchased the ranch at auction for more than $2.5 million.
Since the church converted the Southfork Ranch Event & Conference Center into a place of episcopal worship in 2010, Bishop T.D. Jakes has been able to reliably draw more than 1,500 worshippers to the ranch each week.
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The ranch is also known for being able to accept overnight guests and tour the grounds with Dallas memorabilia since 2019. Eventually, Centurion Corporation acquired the ranch in 2022 for an undisclosed amount.
Because of the land’s historical value to North Texas, it will be key for Centurions to respect the land’s traditions and embrace what made it so popular in the first place.
“I think in today’s society, we’re so quick to build new things and forget our roots. We want to remember how we got here,” Terry says. “We respect our history, and this development will allow us to preserve that history and allow people to come there and understand that Dallas was a show for everyone.”
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