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What we know about Fairfield Lake State Park’s closing and new attempts to save it

State leaders are considering condemning the land in an attempt to regain it from the private developer.

Update:
Revised June 12 to include information about Texas Parks and Wildlife commissioners' vote to use eminent domain. Revised June 7 to include the latest developments related to the property.

Although a private developer purchased the swath of rural land earlier this month that includes Fairfield Lake State Park, Texas officials are saying there’s still a chance it could become public land again.

The drama around the park’s likely permanent closure has drawn Texans’ attention to the status of the state’s public parks and fueled arguments over private land rights, especially in relation to eminent domain.

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Here’s some of the latest information on the saga:

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Is the park closed to the public?

Yes, Fairfield Lake State Park in Freestone County closed to the public — possibly forever — on June 4.

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The state’s lease on the land ends June 13, so park employees are working to decommission the park ahead of then.

So who owned the park land and who owns it now?

As of June 1, Dallas-based developer Todd Interests owns the land.

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Vistra Energy, a private company, previously owned the land and leased the portion that contains the park to Texas at no cost since 1971. The 5,000-acre swath of land was under contract with Todd Interests since September 2022 and finally closed last week.

Did TPWD ever try to buy the land?

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department never bought the land, which was first listed for sale in 2021. The asking price was $110 million, and state officials said they didn’t have the money to purchase the land at that time.

The department recently made a $25 million offer to buyout Todd Interests’ contract, but that deal never came to fruition.

TPWD also offered Vistra $95 million for the land in a letter dated June 1. Nothing came of that proposal.

What are Todd Interests’ plans for the land?

Todd Interests has released its plans to build a luxury gated community with multimillion-dollar houses, a golf course and country club.

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The development, which will be a more-than-$1 billion project, will be called the Freestone Club.

The developer has said it doesn’t intend to change the water level of the lake and will preserve the two marked cemeteries on the property.

The 5,000-acre Freestone community south of Dallas will include an community center called...
The 5,000-acre Freestone community south of Dallas will include an community center called The Point.(Contributed / Todd Interests)

How’s TPWD going to attempt to get the land back?

State officials have remained adamant that they aren’t backing down despite the land officially being sold to the developer. On Saturday TPWD commissioners proved that by unanimously voting to condemn the 5,000 acres.

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The vote was one of the first steps towards the state using eminent domain, which allows the government to acquire privately owned land for public use.

The state has 30 days to send a final written offer based on an appraisal of the land to Todd Interests. If the developer declines, the Texas Attorney General’s Office will file a petition to condemn the land in Freestone County with a district court judge and a court proceedings will take place.

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