What Ellison Development does

Ellison Development is a privately held horizontal land developer headquartered in Conroe, Texas, that designs and develops affordable residential communities across the Greater Houston area — specifically Montgomery, Liberty, Walker, and Waller Counties. The company acquires raw land, installs horizontal infrastructure (utilities, roads, amenities), entitles it, and sells finished, builder-ready lots to national homebuilders — primarily D.R. Horton — who handle vertical construction. Its portfolio comprises 11 active communities with a cumulative pipeline of 3,000+ lots under development on top of 800 homes already delivered, with home prices ranging from the mid-$130,000s at Castle's Edge in Willis to the low-to-mid $360,000s at Williams Reserve East on ¾-acre lots in Conroe.

The company's core product is master-planned, thematically designed communities built around entry-level price points and differentiated by distinctive community branding — Castle's Edge features castle-inspired architecture and street names like Armour Forge and Legacy Crossing, Saddle Village is built on a former horse racetrack with racehorse-themed streets, and McCrorey Trails uses heritage-inspired naming honoring a local family legacy. Ellison's go-to-market is hybrid: it markets communities directly to end buyers through its website, social channels, blog content, and a media hub, while monetizing primarily through one-time finished-lot sales to enterprise homebuilder partners. Its "We Buy Lots" intake program explicitly broadens the land-acquisition funnel. The company has earned multiple PRISM Awards from the Greater Houston Builders Association and has positioned itself as an industry voice on housing affordability, with co-founder Colleen Ellison speaking at IMN's Residential Ground-Up Construction Forum and active engagement in Montgomery County lot-size rulemaking.

Revenue mechanics are project-based and lumpy: Ellison capitalizes land acquisition and horizontal development costs, then recognizes revenue on each finished lot delivered to a builder. Recent quarters show an active delivery cadence — the first section of Baron Village (66 acres, 557 homesites) is scheduled for delivery to D.R. Horton in April 2026, and the Gemini community in Splendora (86 acres, 585 homesites) held its grand opening on February 19, 2026. Beyond Texas, Ellison is extending its model via the $6.8 billion ARK-Ellison-Horus unsolicited proposal to redevelop St. Petersburg's Historic Gas Plant District, with a $2 million community contribution toward converting a CSX rail corridor into a public trail announced on February 20, 2026.

Name

Ellison Development

Legal name

Ellison Development

Website

https://ellisondev.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ellison Development is a privately held horizontal land developer based in Conroe, Texas, that designs and develops affordable residential communities across the Greater Houston area and sells finished lots primarily to D.R. Horton for vertical construction.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Land Development

NAICS

Land Subdivision (23721), Land Subdivision (237210)

SIC

Land Subdividers & Developers (No Cemeteries) (6552)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Land Development & Subdivision Homebuilding (Build-to-Sell Communities) (IMAFABAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Residential Affordable Housing Development & Construction (IMAFABAI)

Keywords

• Residential land development
• Affordable housing communities
• Horizontal development
• Master-planned communities
• Finished lot sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Conroe

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Land Development and Lot Sales: Ellison Development generates revenue by acquiring raw land, developing it into residential communities with infrastructure, and selling finished lots to homebuilders such as D.R. Horton. The company also operates a 'We Buy Lots' program to acquire additional land for development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ellison Development is a horizontal land developer that acquires raw land, entitles it, and develops it into master-planned residential communities with infrastructure, utilities, roads, and amenities. The company then sells finished lots to national homebuilders such as D.R. Horton who construct the homes. The portfolio includes 11 communities across the Greater Houston area (Montgomery, Liberty, Walker, and Waller Counties, Texas), with home pricing ranging from the mid-$130,000s to the low-$400,000s.

Product overview

Ellison Development is a horizontal land developer specializing in affordable residential community development in the Greater Houston area, specifically Montgomery County, Liberty County, Walker County, and Waller County in Texas. The company develops master-planned residential communities with homes built by partner builders, primarily D.R. Horton. Their portfolio includes 11 distinct communities offering entry-level homes starting in the mid-$130,000s to luxury acreage properties in the low-$400,000s. Core communities include Baron Village (66 acres, 557 homesites), Gemini (86 acres, 585 homesites), Castle's Edge, McCrorey Trails, Williams Reserve East, William Trails, Saddle Village, Lake Conroe Cove, Marie Village, The Hamlet, and Waller Trails. The company focuses on horizontal development—land development including utilities, roads, and amenities—while home construction is handled by partner builders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Baron Village A 66-acre affordable homeownership community in Conroe, Texas with 557 planned homesites across three sections, built by D.R. Horton with heritage-inspired street naming.
• Gemini An 86-acre new home community in Splendora, Texas with 585 planned homesites, the most affordable new construction community in Splendora, built exclusively by D.R. Horton with homes starting in the $150s.
• Castle's Edge A residential community in Willis, Texas featuring castle-inspired architecture with streets like Armour Forge and Legacy Crossing; homes starting in the mid-$130,000s.
• McCrorey Trails A 47-acre community in Conroe, Texas with 206 homesites featuring heritage-inspired living, a fishing pond, walking trails, community park, basketball court, pickleball court, and playground.
• Williams Reserve East A 113-acre community in Conroe, Texas with 100 homesites on ¾-acre lots offering 4-5 bedroom homes from 2,100 to 2,600 sq. ft. with 3-car garages starting in the low-to-mid $360,000s.
• William Trails A 102-acre community in Willis, Texas with 514 homesites featuring cottage homes from the mid-$150,000s, with trails, courts, and playgrounds.
• Saddle Village A 78-acre community in Conroe, Texas with 615 homesites built on the grounds of a former horse racetrack, featuring a fishing pond, community park, playground, and open green spaces.
• Lake Conroe Cove A lakeside-inspired community in Willis, Texas with 77 homesites featuring white homes with black trim, fishing and lake access, and waterfront homes combining affordability and lakeside living.
• Marie Village A residential community in Conroe, Texas (ZIP 77306) with 2-3 bedroom, 1-2 bath affordable homes, ranked as a Top 25 fastest growing community.
• The Hamlet A residential community in Conroe, Texas (ZIP 77304) offering affordable new home options in the Montgomery County area.
• Waller Trails A community in Hempstead, Texas (ZIP 77445) zoned to Hempstead ISD, part of Ellison Development's affordable housing portfolio serving Waller County.
• We Buy Lots Program Land acquisition program through which Ellison Development purchases additional land parcels from landowners for residential development, with submission via the company website.

Quantifiable outcome

• Homes priced $30,000-$60,000 below competing developments in the same ZIP code
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.

• City of St. PetersburgminorOthers · 20 February 2026Ellison Development agreed to contribute $2 million toward the City of St. Petersburg's $7 million acquisition of an approximately 0.86-mile CSX rail corridor section, which will be converted into a public walking and biking trail. The city will contribute $1 million plus due diligence costs, with Ferg's Sports Bar and Grill contributing $4 million.
• D.R. HortoncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorD.R. Horton, America's Builder, is the exclusive homebuilder for Ellison Development communities including Baron Village and Gemini. As one of the nation's largest and most recognized homebuilders, D.R. Horton constructs homes in Ellison's planned communities, bringing nationally recognized building expertise to affordable housing developments. The partnership enables delivery of new construction homes at entry-level pricing.
• ARK Investment ManagementflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerARK Investment Management partnered with Ellison Development and Horus Construction on a $6.8 billion unsolicited proposal to redevelop St. Petersburg's Historic Gas Plant District. The proposal includes over 1,900 affordable housing units, cultural anchors, and an innovation ecosystem, projected to create nearly 20,000 jobs and generate $28 billion in economic impact over 30 years.
• Horus ConstructionflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHorus Construction joined with ARK Investment Management and Ellison Development on the $6.8 billion Gas Plant District proposal. National construction and engineering firms including Moss, Jacobs and Kimley-Horn have submitted letters of interest to collaborate with this consortium.
• Backstreets CapitalminorOthersBackstreets Capital, a St. Petersburg real estate investment firm led by developer Will Conroy, was previously in a lawsuit with Ellison Development over The Central mixed-use project. The lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed without prejudice, meaning claims could be refiled later. The two development groups previously partnered on major St. Petersburg projects and are now competing on rival proposals for the Tropicana Field site.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hillwood: Hillwood (the Perot family real estate firm) is one of the largest privately-held land developers in Texas, focused on master-planned residential communities and large-scale mixed-use developments. It is the most direct horizontal-land-development peer to Ellison in the Texas market.
• Caldwell Companies: Houston-based real estate developer with active residential land development across the Greater Houston area, including master-planned communities in Montgomery and surrounding counties. Highly comparable to Ellison in geography, product type, and target homebuilder relationships.
• The NRP Group: National affordable housing developer and general contractor that develops, builds, and manages multifamily affordable rental communities. Comparable to Ellison as a developer operating in the affordable housing segment and pursuing large-scale community development partnerships.
• Empire Communities: Residential community developer operating across multiple U.S. and Canadian markets, focused on master-planned and entry-level communities. Comparable as a multi-community residential developer building at scale with national builder partnerships.

Broad incumbents

• LGI Homes: Public Texas-based homebuilder specializing in affordable entry-level homes. While LGI is vertically integrated (it builds rather than just developing lots), it is comparable in targeting the same first-time-buyer affordability segment in Texas markets Ellison serves.
• Howard Hughes Holdings: Large publicly-traded master-planned community developer with flagship communities like The Woodlands in Greater Houston. Overlaps with Ellison in the master-planned community thesis and Texas exposure, but operates at far larger scale and higher price points.
• Lennar Corporation: One of the largest U.S. homebuilders, with substantial land acquisition and development operations including active presence in Houston-area markets. Comparable to Ellison as a counterparty for land transactions and as a benchmark for Houston residential market dynamics.
• Beazer Homes: Publicly-traded homebuilder with a stated focus on affordable and energy-efficient homes, active in Texas and other Sun Belt markets. Comparable to Ellison on affordability positioning and Texas market exposure, though operating as a builder rather than pure land developer.

Emerging players

• Dominium: Affordable housing developer and manager focused on multifamily and scattered-site affordable product. Comparable to Ellison's affordable housing mission and large-project scale ambition, though primarily rental rather than for-sale community development.

Regional players

• Terranova Corporation: South Florida-based real estate development and investment firm with mixed-use and residential community projects including the St. Petersburg market where Ellison is pursuing the Gas Plant District. Comparable as a competitor/peer in the same Florida proposal process.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ellisondevelopment
• Facebookfacebook.com/ellisondevelopment
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ellison-development
• Instagraminstagram.com/ellison__development

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ellison Development