Crandall, Texas

A Small Community Expertly Navigating Big City Growth

This municipality reveals how strategic partnerships, and forward-thinking leadership can turn explosive growth into sustainable prosperity.

Just minutes east of Dallas, Crandall is at the epicenter of one of America’s fastest-growing counties. Kaufman County has added over 52,000 residents since 2020, claiming the title of fastest-growing county in Texas and second-fastest nationwide. Yet this city of 5,719 people refused to abandon what drew families here in the first place. “Our community still feels like a small town,” Mayor David Lindsey explains. “You can still go to the store or out to eat and probably see somebody you know, but at the same time you’re able to be in Dallas in about 30 minutes.”

The numbers tell a dramatic story of transformation. Crandall’s population has surged 46.3% since 2020, with annual growth rates of 6.76%. The median household income of $105,556 points to an affluent community, largely composed of Dallas commuters seeking space and affordability. “We have a lot of people here that moved out of larger communities looking for that smaller, quieter, simple community to raise their families in,” Mayor Lindsey says. “I think that mind frame and that idea has become really part of what we are.”

The challenge now involves managing explosive residential demand while preserving community identity. Developers plan to add 30,000 homes county-wide by decade’s end. Mayor Lindsey acknowledges the inevitable tension: “The day’s going to come when I’m not going to continually see people I know when I go out in the community, it’s just going to be too big.”

Developer Relations and Housing Strategy

Crandall has attracted major national builders including D.R. Horton, Lennar, and Meredith Homes through a strategic partnership approach that benefits both parties. The city has approved five large developments in recent years, each containing hundreds of residential lots. “One thing we’ve tried to do in each one of these negotiations with these developers is try to get an agreement in place where everybody feels like they’ve come out with a good deal,” Mayor Lindsey explains. “We try to have good partnerships with our developers because we just feel like overall that will benefit the city working with them, not against them.”

The development process typically involves master developers who secure land, obtain approvals, and install infrastructure before selling individual lots to major builders. Deputy City Manager David Sanchez describes how the city ensures housing diversity: “Out of the five big developments that we have going on in the city, a lot of those developments have starter homes that are priced more affordably so that a newly married couple is able to afford it or someone who’s just graduated from college.” The city maintains balance by requiring recent developers to commit to larger, higher-quality homes since earlier projects focused heavily on entry-level housing.

Financing these expansions requires sophisticated mechanisms. Tax Increment Financing districts and Public Improvement Districts allow developers to front infrastructure costs for roads, water lines, sewer systems, and sidewalks, then receive reimbursement over time. “These funding mechanisms are basically a way that these developers are able to upfront the money for this infrastructure that is very much needed,” Sanchez explains. The approach enables rapid development while spreading municipal costs across multiple stakeholders.

Downtown Vision and Community Infrastructure

The comprehensive plan serves as Crandall’s blueprint for managing growth while preserving its historic character. Unlike typical zoning documents, this framework establishes design standards that will outlast current leadership. “The beautiful thing about the comprehensive plan is that this is a guide not only for us who are serving the city right now, but also it’s prepping so that we can have a solid foundation for those that are going to come after us,” Sanchez explains. The document includes specific guidelines for materials, signage, and architectural appearance to maintain downtown’s authentic feel.

City officials envision transforming the historic core into a walkable retail district spanning multiple streets rather than just Main Street. “We don’t just want it to be one street, we want it to be maybe several so that we can have smaller shops where people can come and park their vehicle, get out, go shopping, get an ice cream and visit all these little shops with more of that small town feel,” Sanchez says. The strategy allows residents to access local businesses on foot while still providing big-box retail options elsewhere in town.

Budget allocations align with this downtown priority, with funds specifically earmarked for incremental improvements. The city carefully separates residential and commercial zones to preserve neighborhood tranquility. “We’ve worked very hard to try to have those pockets of residential, have areas that are more commercial, and it really makes that more of a plan or a vision where if you are in a neighborhood, you get to know your neighbors, it’s quieter, it’s not so busy and commercial,” Mayor Lindsey notes. Citizen input has shaped these planning decisions throughout the process.

Staying Ahead of Critical Infrastructure Demand

Crandall’s infrastructure strategy centers on three major projects designed to support thousands of new residents and businesses. The largest undertaking involves a comprehensive sewer force main that will serve the entire city as development accelerates. “The demand is here, and we need to stay ahead of the demand of all these houses and businesses that are coming to Crandall,” Sanchez explains. “So, we do have infrastructure goals and plans that we need to accomplish in order for these developments to start building their phase 2, 3, 4, and so on.”

Water infrastructure represents the second critical priority. The city has begun planning logistics and funding for a new water tower to maintain adequate pressure across expanding neighborhoods. Additionally, a new pump station will distribute water to incoming developments. Impact fees from new construction help finance these projects, with developers contributing beyond standard requirements. “When we are negotiating with them in their development agreement, we can tell them, in order for this development to be able to take place, you’re going to have to maybe go a little bit above what you’re supposed to pay on top of your impact fees,” Sanchez notes.

Developer partnerships have proven essential for major infrastructure completion. The Arbors at Eastland development illustrates this collaborative approach, with developers funding approximately 95% of an expensive pump station’s costs. Similarly, the most recent approved development requires the builder to construct one and a half miles of new roadway. “Those are the kind of things that we discussed early on during the development agreement negotiations to see what the developer can bring, how they can bring value to the city,” Sanchez explains.

Economic Development and Workforce Opportunities

Crandall currently operates as a classic bedroom community, with most residents commuting to Dallas for employment. The Crandall Independent School District serves as the city’s largest employer by a significant margin, highlighting the need for job diversification. “Our school district right now is our largest employer in Crandall and it is by some margin, and most of our citizens work outside of the city,” Mayor Lindsey acknowledges. “When you ask what students will do when they graduate; what opportunities will they have here in Crandall today? Not as many as we would like, but we are working to change that.”

The city collaborates closely with its Economic Development Corporation to attract businesses that provide employment rather than just retail sales tax revenue. Professional services represent a primary target, with several prospects examining office space opportunities. “There are several interested parties looking at Crandall that would open up office space facilities that would bring in professional space, office space, things that we really need right now in Crandall to try to attract, whether it’s a doctor’s office, an attorney, a CPA,” Mayor Lindsey explains.

Warehouse and flex space developments offer additional employment potential for residents seeking local work options. The long-term vision involves creating opportunities for graduates who want to remain in their hometown. “Between the city and the EDC, we do have a focus on trying to get businesses in here that will provide jobs, not just somewhere to eat, somewhere to shop, but one day we hope if you grow up here and want to raise a family here, we hope to provide opportunities for you to work here if that’s what you would like to do,” Mayor Lindsey says.

Public Safety, Traffic Solutions, and the Next Two Years

Public safety funding receives priority attention as Crandall’s population expands rapidly. The city has implemented a $375 emergency service fee on all building permits to support police and fire services. Mayor Lindsey describes recent efforts to retain officers: “One thing we’ve tried to do over the last several years is aggressively raise the pay for our police officers and we’ve done that. We’ve also implemented a step program with the idea of trying to have as minimal turnover in our police department as we can.” The strategy has reduced chronic understaffing that previously plagued the department.

Traffic congestion represents Crandall’s most immediate challenge, but major relief arrives soon. A new bypass connecting Highway 175 to FM 148 will allow commuters to avoid downtown entirely. “Right now it’s scheduled to open in March of next year, so March of 2026, what that is going to do is create an artery that will allow people to go to and from work, take their kids to and from school,” Mayor Lindsey explains. The project will also establish a primary commercial corridor where the bypass meets Highway 175.

Additional transportation improvements include converting current two-way service roads to one-way configuration and completing a parkway connecting FM 741 to the high school. Mayor Lindsey notes an unusual distinction: “Right now we are probably one of the largest communities in Texas that doesn’t have a stoplight.”

Within two years, these infrastructure projects will fundamentally reshape Crandall’s traffic patterns and commercial landscape. The city expects to see concrete development plans, if not completed buildings, along the new commercial corridors. Combined with a new middle school and performing arts center, these changes position Crandall to maintain its small-town appeal while accommodating unprecedented growth in one of America’s fastest-expanding regions.

AT A GLANCE

Name: Crandall, Texas

What: Fast-growing suburban city balancing explosive residential development with small-town preservation through strategic planning, developer partnerships, and major infrastructure investments

Where: Kaufman County, Texas

Website: https://www.crandalltexas.com/