The husband of Dallas internet influencer Dani “Goofy Mom” Austin is marketing plans for a country living community between Parker and Murphy.

Jordan Ramirez invited area residents to a Wednesday, June 25, town hall at nearby Southfork Ranch, where the protest of the project began nearly four years ago, Dec. 6, 2021.

Restore the Grasslands (RTG), linked to the family trusts of Dallas developers Phillip and Donald Huffines, originally proposed a subdivision on 103 acres between Hogge Road and Gregory Lane.

The cities of Parker and Murphy both refused to provide sewer service to the community, which opponents said could comprise 666 homes. RTG Managing Partner John Cox later said that number was never envisioned, and the actual number of single-family homes was closer to 250.

Absent a plan for flushing away sewage, the developer won a permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to build a wastewater treatment plant allowed to dump up to 200,000 gallons of treated effluent per day into Maxwell Creek, which runs through the center of Murphy.

The plant would be built and operated by Collin County Municipal Utility District (MUD) No. 7, which would have taxing authority over residents in the complex.

Potential neighbors of the project, including the group Communities and Creeks United, filed protests against the MUD and treatment plant that are still pending in Austin. Another lawsuit was filed by residents along Gregory Lane, part of which is marked as a private road.

Ramirez has spent months on his proposal to build 254 single-family homes in a community called “Project Homestead.”

However, the sewage question remains unanswered along with drainage and alternative access to the development other than Hogge Road.

“When I first stepped into this deal last year, I was simply looking for some land on which to develop a new residential concept,” Ramirez wrote in an open letter distributed to Parker residents. “I had no idea how inappropriately it had been handled prior. For that, I’m sorry for all residents of the city of Parker and Murphy.”

But many residents remain unconvinced.

“We have always wanted this neighborhood to be developed responsibly, and we appreciate the opportunity for the community to ask Jordan questions about his vision,” Carrolyn Moebius, president of Communities and Creeks United, said before the meeting.

However, Moebius said she had not yet seen Ramirez’s plans for a final plat of the property and advised protestants not to relinquish their legal rights until then.

Ramirez said if the development agreement is not fully executed by all parties by June 30, the deal becomes void. Then all litigation must be resolved by Sept. 30, or the agreement is rescinded, he said.

Ramirez has framed the deal as the best possible outcome for all involved.

“The citizens of Parker have won and successfully pushed the density down,” he wrote. “This truly is the bottom — not just for Huffines Communities, but for any new developer.”

But many residents remain skeptical of the project’s density, which is still incompatible with the area. Opponents fear the new subdivision would erode the area’s rural character and depress nearby property values.

“Two hundred and 254 is still a higher density than I believe is appropriate for the area,” said Parker resident Buddy Pilgrim. “Mr. Ramirez will attempt to convince everyone that the alternatives the Huffines are considering for this property will be far less desirable; although, Huffines has not revealed what those alternatives are, so that we can accurately weigh them in the balance. Time will tell.”

Saying he was speaking as an individual, Pilgrim said, “There are many uncertainties that remain for all sides in this matter — including for the Huffines, who do not yet have their MUD approval after four years. Each side needs something from the other.”

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