Ashlar Development
Ashlar Development LLC is a privately held Texas-based master-planned community developer that acquires land, secures entitlements and infrastructure, and sells finished residential lots to national and regional homebuilders across five active communities in Texas and Tennessee.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersIrving, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Ashlar Development does
Ashlar Development LLC is a privately held master-planned community developer headquartered in Irving, Texas. The firm acquires raw land, secures entitlements and public infrastructure, and develops master-planned residential communities that it then sells as finished lots to national and regional homebuilders. As of the most recent disclosures, the company operates five active master-planned communities spanning approximately 3,200 acres with a planned build-out of roughly 5,800 homes across Texas — The Groves in northeast Houston, Wildridge on Lake Lewisville in North Dallas, Belterra in southwest Austin, and Whitecap on North Padre Island in Corpus Christi — and Tennessee (Nichols Vale near Nashville).
The company's core business model centers on land development rather than home construction. Revenue is generated primarily through one-time lot sales to homebuilder partners (Toll Brothers, Highland Homes, Lennar, Perry Homes, Beazer Homes, Chesmar Homes, Pulte Homes, Trendmaker Homes, Village Builders, Westin Homes, Shea Homes, and others), supplemented by commercial parcel sales to retailers, service providers, and multifamily developers (H-E-B, Kiddie Academy, Martin Fein Interests) within mixed-use portions of its communities. The company differentiates through a "Naturehood" design philosophy that preserves native trees and natural features, dedicated lifestyle programming run by full-time Lifestyle Directors, and amenity centers such as The Hearth ($2.5M) at The Groves and The Hideaway at Wildridge. The most strategically significant project is the $1 billion Whitecap Resort on North Padre Island — a 240-acre coastal community with a $50M dry-stack marina, 619 planned residential lots, and resort-hotel potential, currently being marketed through Avison Young to additional development partners.
The company is privately held with no disclosed institutional investment rounds; its current Texas portfolio was acquired in February 2017 from Crescent Communities through funds managed by Minneapolis-based Castlelake LP, with Ashlar continuing as the operating developer. Leadership is led by President Steve Yetts, with EVP and General Manager Terence Johnson overseeing the Whitecap project since June 2024. The company has accumulated sustained industry recognition, including 6+ consecutive years of GHBA Prism Awards, multiple McSAM Awards, and STAR Awards finalist status, reflecting consistent brand equity in the Texas and Sun Belt master-planned community segment.
Ashlar Development firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ashlar Development
- Legal name
- Ashlar Development LLC
- Website
- https://ashlardev.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Ashlar Development LLC is a privately held Texas-based master-planned community developer that acquires land, secures entitlements and infrastructure, and sells finished residential lots to national and regional homebuilders across five active communities in Texas and Tennessee.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ashlar Development industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Master-Planned Community Development
- NAICS
- Land Subdivision (23721), New Housing For-Sale Builders (236117)
- SIC
- Land Subdividers & Developers (No Cemeteries) (6552), Operative Builders (1531)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Residential Land Development & Subdivision Homebuilding (Build-to-Sell Communities) (IMAFABAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Spec Home / Production Homebuilding (Tract & Volume Builders) (IMAFABAD), New Development / Declarant Transition Management (BPAJAHAK)
Keywords
Where Ashlar Development is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Irving
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Ashlar Development business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Lot Sales to Homebuilders: Ashlar Development acquires land, secures entitlements and infrastructure, and sells finished residential lots to homebuilders. Homebuilders then construct and sell homes to end consumers. Revenue is generated through bulk lot sales to builder partners.
- Commercial Land Sales: Sale of commercial parcels within master-planned communities to retailers and service providers (H-E-B grocery, churches, Kiddie Academy, retail developers like Fein for apartments).
- Resort/Mixed-Use Development: Development of luxury coastal communities like Whitecap targeting affluent resort and second-home buyers, with potential hotel, marina, and branded residences components.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Entry-level homes at The Groves |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Mid-range homes at The Groves |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Luxury gated community - Canopy at The Groves by Toll Brothers |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Nichols Vale, Mt. Juliet TN |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Belterra, Austin TX - The Trails neighborhood |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Whitecap Resort, North Padre Island |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Ashlar Development product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ashlar Development is a master-planned community developer that acquires raw land, secures entitlements and infrastructure, and sells finished residential lots to homebuilders who construct and sell homes to end consumers. The company also develops and sells commercial parcels within its communities to retailers, service providers, and apartment developers, and operates one luxury coastal resort community (Whitecap) marketed to mixed-use developers and investors.
Product overview
Ashlar Development creates master-planned residential communities across Texas and Tennessee. Their portfolio includes five active master-planned communities: The Groves (northeast Houston, ~1,000 acres), Wildridge (Lake Lewisville/North Dallas, 340 acres), Whitecap (North Padre Island, 240 acres), Belterra (Southwest Austin, 1,600 acres), and Nichols Vale (Mt. Juliet, Tennessee). Within these communities, Ashlar offers various residential products including single-family homes through builder partnerships (Toll Brothers, Beazer Homes, Lennar, Perry Homes, etc.), townhome communities like The Groves Duets, and luxury gated sections like Canopy at The Groves. Commercial offerings include mixed-use developments (The Glade at The Groves, Belterra Village) and apartment communities like Pavilion at The Groves. Community amenities include dedicated amenity centers (The Hearth, The Hideaway, The Haven), parks (Mini Groves, The Nest), and recreational facilities. The company focuses on nature-centric design with extensive trail systems, preserved open spaces, and lifestyle programming through full-time Lifestyle Directors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The Groves: Master-planned community in northeast Houston featuring nature-focused amenities, approximately 1,000 acres
- Wildridge
- Whitecap
- Nichols Vale
Products and services
- The Groves A nearly 1,000-acre master-planned community in northeast Houston featuring nature-centric living with preserved pines, Madera Creek running through the development, and over 2,200 planned homes. Includes entry-level, mid-range, and luxury products via homebuilder partnerships.
- Wildridge A 340-acre master-planned community on the quiet peninsula of Lake Lewisville in Oak Point, North Dallas, offering waterfront living with natural amenities and a seven-mile trail network. Includes a 122-acre expansion with more than 500 additional homes and 25 acres of commercial, retail, and civic space.
- Whitecap (North Padre Island) A 240-acre shovel-ready master-planned coastal community on North Padre Island in Corpus Christi, Texas, featuring a $50 million dry stack marina, 619 residential lots across two phases, resort hotel potential, and branded residences. Marketed via Avison Young to mixed-use developers and investors.
- Belterra A 1,600-acre master-planned community nestled in the rolling hills southwest of Austin, featuring luxury amenities, top-rated Dripping Springs schools, miles of trails, and a 93-acre Belterra Village mixed-use commercial development with more than 200,000 square feet of retail space.
- Nichols Vale A 402 home site single-family residential community in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, located approximately five miles from Interstate 40 and less than 30 minutes from downtown Nashville. Homes range from mid-$300s to mid-$500s including custom/estate homes, production homes, and townhomes via builder partnerships.
Companies that use Ashlar Development
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Ashlar Development technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Ashlar Development partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Avison YoungcoreGlobal real estate advisory firm retained by Ashlar Development to market Whitecap Resort for sale - a 240-acre shovel-ready master-planned coastal community on North Padre Island in Corpus Christi, Texas.
- City of Corpus ChristicorePublic-private partnership for Whitecap development. City approved $20.7M TIRZ bond issuance - the first TIRZ bond ever issued in the city - to fund critical public infrastructure including streets, drainage, water, wastewater, and Preserve Park enhancements.
- Flour Bluff ISDminorEducational partnership where Whitecap welcomed engineering and construction students from Flour Bluff ISD to learn about construction of key infrastructure within the development.
- Martin Fein InterestsminorHigh-end multifamily developer acquired 20.2 acres within The Groves for development of Pavilion at The Groves - a 318-unit garden-style apartment complex within the mixed-use development.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Ashlar Development competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hillwood: Hillwood (a Perot company) is one of the largest private master-planned community developers in the U.S., active across Texas including significant DFW and Houston-area projects. Most directly comparable to Ashlar given overlapping Texas MPC focus and builder-partnership model.
- Crescent Communities: Crescent Communities is a national master-planned community and multifamily developer. Previously owned The Groves, Belterra, and Wildridge before selling to Castlelake/Ashlar in 2017, making it a directly comparable precedent and current competitor in adjacent geographies.
- Landsea Homes: Landsea Homes is a publicly-traded homebuilder that also develops master-planned communities in Texas and other Sun Belt markets. Comparable in combining community development with homebuilding, and a useful peer for understanding MPC-developer economics at slightly larger scale.
- Centurion American Development Group: Centurion American is a Dallas-based master-planned community and mixed-use developer with deep Texas roots across DFW, Houston, and other metros. Closely comparable in geography, product type (MPCs sold to homebuilders), and scale to Ashlar.
- Sunwest Real Estate Group: Sunwest is a privately-held Texas-focused master-planned community developer active in Austin, San Antonio, Houston, and DFW. Comparable in business model (land acquisition, entitlement, lot sales to builders) and Texas geographic concentration to Ashlar.
Broad incumbents
- The Howard Hughes Corporation: Howard Hughes is a publicly-traded master-planned community developer (The Woodlands, Summerlin, Bridgeland) with significantly larger scale and capital access. Comparable business model of building MPCs that are populated by third-party homebuilders, though operating at much greater scale.
- Toll Brothers: Toll Brothers is the largest U.S. luxury homebuilder and a key Ashlar partner (Canopy at The Groves). While primarily a builder rather than MPC developer, Toll's growing in-house community development arm (Toll Brothers Land) makes it a comparable competitor for both lot supply and end-customer relationships.
- Lennar Corporation: Lennar is the second-largest U.S. homebuilder with a 50' product at The Groves. Lennar's land subsidiary (Lennar Land) and growing vertical integration of community development make it both a customer and a strategic competitor to Ashlar's developer model.
- Forestar Group (D.R. Horton subsidiary): Forestar is a D.R. Horton subsidiary focused on residential land acquisition and development. Represents the vertically-integrated model that threatens Ashlar's third-party developer positioning, and a key benchmark for how builders approach lot supply at scale.
Regional players
- Perry Homes: Perry Homes is a Houston-based homebuilder with 45', 60', and 70' product offerings at The Groves. Functions as both a key Ashlar customer/partner and a comparable Texas-centric homebuilder, providing a useful read on regional lot absorption and pricing dynamics.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks3 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Ashlar Development social profiles
Digital presenceAshlar Development financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ashlar Development leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Ashlar Development funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ashlar Development M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ashlar Development
What does Ashlar Development do?
Ashlar Development is a master-planned community developer that acquires raw land, secures entitlements and infrastructure, and sells finished residential lots to homebuilders who construct and sell homes to end consumers. The company also develops and sells commercial parcels within its communities to retailers, service providers, and apartment developers, and operates one luxury coastal resort community (Whitecap) marketed to mixed-use developers and investors.
Is Ashlar Development a public or private company?
Ashlar Development is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Ashlar Development founded?
Ashlar Development was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Ashlar Development based?
Ashlar Development is headquartered in Irving, United States, in the North America region.
How does Ashlar Development make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Lot Sales to Homebuilders are the primary driver. The others are commercial Land Sales and resort/Mixed-Use Development.
Who are Ashlar Development's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hillwood, Crescent Communities, Landsea Homes, Centurion American Development Group and Sunwest Real Estate Group. Broad incumbents are The Howard Hughes Corporation, Toll Brothers, Lennar Corporation and Forestar Group (D.R. Horton subsidiary). Perry Homes is listed as a regional player.
Does Ashlar Development have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ashlar Development.
What industry is Ashlar Development in?
Ashlar Development's product category is Master-Planned Community Development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAFABAL, Residential Land Development & Subdivision Homebuilding (Build-to-Sell Communities), with a secondary code of IMAFABAD, Spec Home / Production Homebuilding (Tract & Volume Builders). Its NAICS code is 23721 and its SIC code is 6552.