The Plano Collinwood House could move as soon as September to its new preservation spot as the new owners make plans for the 19th century home.
And while very preliminary, those plans could include mixed-use development along the Dallas North Tollway with retail, high-density housing, and the Collinwood House as its unique centerpiece, Clint Haggard tells Daltxrealestate.com.
“Our goal would be to incorporate that historic home into this future, unknown development,” Haggard says. “We don’t know if we’ll incorporate the home into green space or retail. But it’ll be something unique to create that development with a piece of our family history and heritage in the center of it.”
The Haggards are one of the founding families of Plano, and their ancestors’ home, built in 1861, predates the city of Plano’s incorporation in 1873. But the beleaguered home fell into the city’s hands when it purchased 124-acres of undeveloped West Plano land to build the future Windhaven Meadows Park, a new $10 million expanse that will include trails; ponds; pavilions; a dog park; and a 20,000-square-foot, all-abilities playground donated by corporate neighbors Liberty Mutual.
The city didn’t want the Gothic revival-style home, so they offered it up to anyone willing to move it. After no one took up the city’s original offer in 2015 to relocate the home off city property and onto their own, Plano presented a $3.5 million bond measure to preserve the building at its current site, but failed by a small 600-vote margin in 2017. In June, the city council unanimously approved Haggard Enterprises’ bid to move Collinwood off the future park site. As part of the agreement, the city agreed to kick in $250,000 — the funds set aside for demolition.
Haggard anticipates final contracts with the city to be signed this week, which had to be adjusted to exclude the pole barn and chicken coop, which movers advised would not survive a move.
Haggard Enterprises has hired Lemons House Moving of Whitesboro.
Once the city contract is signed, Haggard Enterprises has 90 days to move the fragile historic home from its existing location southeast of Windhaven Parkway and Willow Bend Drive to a nearby, fenced plot of undeveloped land at Spring Creek Parkway and Windhaven Parkway owned by the family.
Clint Haggard says the house move will take place as soon as possible, likely in September. Once the house is moved though, Haggard says they’ll take their time deciding the home’s ultimate purpose.
“We’re the last ones out there that haven’t developed their property and it’s been undeveloped since the mid 1850s,” he says. “We tend to move slow.”
