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Quick answer: Ross Perot Jr., chairman of Dallas developer Hillwood, told the Dallas and Fort Worth Business Journals that North Texas growth will keep moving north toward the Oklahoma border. He is especially bullish on North Texas Regional Airport between Sherman and Denison. Hillwood has not announced a Texoma project, so this is a long-range outlook, not a groundbreaking.
Updated October 9, 2026. Written by Brian & Jonelle, Lake Texoma REALTORS® with the Love My Texoma Home Team.
Key takeaways
- 📍 Perot's forecast: the growth that transformed McKinney, Frisco and Plano will keep stretching north toward the Oklahoma border.
- ✈️ The airport: he called North Texas Regional Airport a major asset and thinks it could become the region's next commercial airport. No airline service has been announced.
- ⏳ The timeline: Hillwood buys land on roughly a 20-year horizon, and Perot expects the next generation to carry the push into Texoma.
- 🏡 For buyers and land owners: compare Sherman and Denison options now, verify land details before you buy, and don't pay for promises.
- ⚠️ What’s missing: no Hillwood project, no airline service, no opening date for any tollway into Grayson County, and no price guarantees.
What did Ross Perot Jr. actually say about Texoma?
In a wide-ranging interview on September 18, 2026, published by the Dallas Business Journal on October 7, Perot said the development wave that built Frisco, McKinney and Plano is slowly extending toward the Oklahoma border. He described billions of dollars in projects moving north along the Dallas North Tollway, State Highway 121 and U.S. Highway 380, and pointed to once-rural towns such as Celina, Princeton and Anna, which are now drawing retail and industrial projects.
He also pointed to semiconductor investment and ongoing development around Lake Texoma as signs of where the region is headed. You can see some of it already in Sherman’s chip boom, in Preston Harbor in Denison, and in our interactive map of what’s really being built in Texoma.
Perot said he tells his younger team and his own children that their job is to "fill in between, taking North Texas up to Texoma."
Why is Perot so interested in North Texas Regional Airport?
North Texas Regional Airport (KGYI) is a county-owned general aviation airport between Sherman and Denison in Grayson County. Perot called it a major asset, said it sits near the planned Dallas North Tollway extension, and believes it could become the region's next commercial airport.
He praised the airport's runways and its position in the path of growth. FAA-listed data shows a 9,000-foot primary runway with an instrument landing system plus a shorter parallel runway, on roughly 1,410 acres that were once Perrin Air Force Base.
Today the airport handles general aviation, not airline service. In 2025, county officials told KXII that a $1.5 million taxiway project, about 95 percent federally funded, would open roughly 30 acres for new hangar development. Local leaders have talked openly about commercial service someday, but no airline has announced flights here. Treat "commercial airport" as an ambition, not a schedule.
What we confirmed online: Grayson County leaders describe commercial service as a long-term goal. In August 2026, KTEN reported that a $4 million runway lighting project had been postponed, and the Denison Development Alliance's president said airline service depends on how much the area grows. Reporting on the county's plans, summarized by Hoodline, notes the airport would still need FAA certification and agreements with airlines. In 2024, the airport's mobility authority chairman told KTEN that a passenger terminal generally needs a far bigger market than Grayson County's roughly 135,000 residents. Meanwhile, the airport broke ground in April 2026 on a 63,000-square-foot hangar expected to create about 50 jobs.
For comparison, McKinney National Airport is finishing a four-gate terminal, with airline service scheduled to begin November 11, 2026. That's what a real commercial transition looks like: a funded terminal, an airline agreement and a launch date. North Texas Regional hasn't announced any of those.
What did Perot say, and what has actually been announced?
| Topic | What Perot said | Status today |
|---|---|---|
| Hillwood project in Texoma | The next generation will take the growth corridor up to Texoma | None announced |
| Airline service at the airport | It could become the region’s next commercial airport | Not announced. General aviation today |
| Dallas North Tollway extension | The airport sits near the planned extension | Under construction to FM 428 in Celina, with that stretch expected to open in late 2027 per NTTA. The stretch to the Grayson County line has no opening date, and a Grayson County tollway is a separate proposal. |
| Growth moving north | The pattern is slowly extending toward the Oklahoma border | Already visible in Collin County and towns like Celina |
| Home and land prices | No price forecast for Texoma | No guarantee. Buy for how you will use the property |
What is the status of the Dallas North Tollway extension?
The North Texas Tollway Authority is building Phase 4 of the Dallas North Tollway, a 13.7-mile extension north of US 380 toward the Collin/Grayson county line. The first stretch, from US 380 in Prosper to FM 428 in Celina, is expected to open in late 2027. The stretch from FM 428 to the Grayson County line has no opening date yet. A separate proposed Grayson County Tollway, run by a county Regional Mobility Authority rather than NTTA, could carry the road into Grayson County. Sources: NTTA and Community Impact (August 2026).
What that means for Texoma: the tollway pulls growth toward Celina, Prosper and Anna first. Sherman and Denison are further out, so treat any tollway benefit here as a long-term possibility, not a near-term event.
What does a "20-year horizon" mean for Texoma?
Perot and Hillwood are known for buying large tracts of land and waiting. He said the push into Texoma will likely fall to the next generation, noting that he doesn't have another 30 years to do it himself. Hillwood's Frisco Station is the model: a 242-acre project that took roughly a decade to mature, where Hillwood is now building a 410-unit apartment community, Toll Brothers is adding luxury housing, and Perot says retail is still the missing piece. For buyers, the lesson is useful: big regional growth shows up in phases, over many years.
What are the numbers behind the northward push?
- Collin County: added an estimated 42,966 residents from mid-2024 to mid-2025, about 118 people per day, and is home to four of the nation's five fastest-growing cities.
- Frisco: nearly 250,000 residents today, up from about 6,000 in 1990, with only about 13 percent of its land still available for development as of mid-2025.
- North Texas overall: Perot says the region is adding roughly a million people every seven years.
When the closest big-city suburbs run low on buildable land, growth looks farther out. That's the logic behind his forecast, and it's why families searching in McKinney and Frisco are starting to look at Sherman and Denison. Start with our guide on moving from McKinney or Frisco to Lake Texoma, compare costs in our Denison vs. Durant cost-of-living update, check current numbers in the October 2026 Texoma market update, or see our Moving to Texoma guide.
What's already happening in Grayson County?
- Preston Harbor: a 3,114-acre master-planned community on Denison's Lake Texoma shoreline, developed by others, not Hillwood. Read our breakdown in Inside Preston Harbor.
- Sherman's chip boom: semiconductor manufacturing has changed Sherman's job market. See Sherman, Texas: The Silicon Valley of North Texas.
- New construction: builders are active across Sherman, Denison and Pottsboro. Our new construction guide explains how to buy from a builder.
- Denison's market: read Denison real estate market trends and top Denison neighborhoods.
What does this not mean?
- It doesn't mean a Hillwood development is coming to Texoma. None has been announced.
- It doesn't mean airline service is approved. The airport is a general aviation facility today.
- It doesn't guarantee higher prices. Regional growth has helped values in many markets, but timing, location and interest rates all matter, and no one can promise appreciation on a specific property.
- It doesn't set a tollway date for Grayson County. The first stretch past US 380 is expected in late 2027, and the stretch to the county line has no opening date yet. Check NTTA for updates.
What should buyers, sellers and land owners do now?
- Buyers: buy for how you'll live in the home today, then treat growth as a bonus. Browse homes from $200,000 to $300,000 or from $300,000 to $400,000, compare Sherman and Denison, and read what to include as contingencies and how to work with a local Realtor.
- Land shoppers: verify utilities, access, flood zones, zoning and any airport-area restrictions before you buy. Start with our guide on how to buy land near Lake Texoma and our Texoma land and acreage guide, then browse land in Sherman, Denison, Grayson County or 5 to 10 acres.
- Sellers and owners: don't price on rumors. Get a current, comp-based opinion with our free home value check so your decisions rest on sales, not headlines.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ross Perot Jr. building something in Texoma?
Not that has been announced. In the interview he described where he expects growth to go and said the next generation at Hillwood will carry it up toward Texoma. No Hillwood project, land purchase or timeline for this area has been published.
Who is Ross Perot Jr., and what is Hillwood?
Ross Perot Jr. is chairman of Hillwood, the Dallas-based real estate developer he founded in 1988. Hillwood developed AllianceTexas, a 27,000-acre master-planned area in North Fort Worth anchored by Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport, and Frisco Station, a 242-acre mixed-use project in Frisco.
Will North Texas Regional Airport get commercial flights?
Perot believes it could become the region's next commercial airport, and county leaders call commercial service a long-term goal. Today it serves general aviation. It would still need FAA certification and agreements with airlines, and no airline has announced service.
Where is North Texas Regional Airport?
It sits between Sherman and Denison in Grayson County, about four miles west of Denison, and is owned by the county.
Is there airline service near Sherman and Denison?
Not at North Texas Regional Airport today. McKinney National Airport is the newest commercial option in North Texas, with airline service scheduled to begin November 11, 2026. DFW and Dallas Love Field are the established airports.
Is the Dallas North Tollway being extended to Sherman or Denison?
Not yet. NTTA is extending the tollway about 13.7 miles north of US 380 toward the Collin/Grayson county line, with the first stretch to FM 428 in Celina expected in late 2027. The county-line stretch has no opening date, and a Grayson County tollway is only proposed as a separate county project.
Will Sherman and Denison home prices go up because of this?
Nobody can promise that. Growth pressure from Collin County is one factor buyers watch, alongside interest rates, new construction supply and local jobs. We're glad to walk through current sales in your price range.
Is now a good time to buy land near the airport or Lake Texoma?
It depends on your goals and timeline. Due diligence on utilities, access, flood zones and zoning matters more than any headline. Call us and we'll help you evaluate a specific property.
Sources and how we wrote this
This article is based on the Dallas Business Journal and Fort Worth Business Journal interview with Ross Perot Jr. (October 7, 2026), airport data from the FAA and AirNav, local reporting from KXII and KTEN, tollway information from NTTA and Community Impact, and McKinney National Airport. Photos are public domain or openly licensed, with credits under each image. Graphics are original and schematic. We update this page when new information is released.
Texoma growth outlook at a glance
- Source: Ross Perot Jr. interview, Dallas Business Journal and Fort Worth Business Journal, October 2026
- Perot's view: growth from Collin County will keep extending north toward the Oklahoma border
- Airport: North Texas Regional Airport, between Sherman and Denison; longest runway 9,000 feet (FAA-listed); general aviation today
- Hillwood's approach: large land tracts on roughly a 20-year horizon
- Announced Hillwood project in Texoma: none
- Tollway: Dallas North Tollway Phase 4 to FM 428 in Celina expected late 2027; county-line stretch has no opening date
- Related reading: The History of Lake Texoma and lake homes for sale in Denison
Thinking about where Texoma is headed and how it affects your next move? Browse Sherman homes for sale or Denison homes for sale, or call (580) 217-7435. We'll give you straight answers based on what's actually selling, not what's being predicted.
