New residential developments are coming to North Texas as part of Chicago-based Core Spaces’ growing portfolio under its Oxenfree brand of premier build-to-rent housing.

Oxenfree at Princeton in the Collin County city of Princeton is slated to begin leasing in March. Located east of McKinney, the development covers more than 50 acres and features 408 single-family detached homes and townhomes with private garages, yards, and outdoor patios.

Core Spaces has broken ground on five other communities nationally in the last five months. In Dallas-Fort Worth, Oxenfree at Rowlett and the Fort Worth-located Oxenfree at West Oak are set to get underway later this year, with their first homes slated to be completed in spring 2025.

Oxenfree at Stonebriar in Frisco is another one of Core’s communities, scheduled to begin delivering homes in summer 2025.

“There’s a movement happening in housing right now. With the lack of supply, constraints on affordability, and consumer preferences changing, we’re seeing a shift in how residents want to live,” Cliff Payne, chief investment officer of build-to-rent at Core Spaces, said in a statement. “Through our unique design-build approach, we’re confident Oxenfree is well-positioned to deliver a new way of living. This is just the beginning for BTR, and we look forward to continued growth in our portfolio and the sector as a whole.”

‘Founded on the principles of new (sub)urbanism’

Core Spaces is a vertically integrated residential real estate developer, owner, and operator with a portfolio of nearly 4,000 homes under development and in its pipeline across fast-growing markets including Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Nashville, Austin, Charlotte, and Florida’s Gulf Coast.

The company said that includes seven communities and roughly 1,500 homes currently under construction, with additional groundbreakings scheduled for this spring. The brand’s other debut community beside Oxenfree at Princeton is Oxenfree at WeHo in Nashville, Tennessee.

Core said it brings a unique sensibility to development, design, and property management that sets its BTR communities apart. The company said its communities are founded on the principles of new (sub)urbanism, and are centered around walkable neighborhoods, shared spaces, and integration with the natural landscape.

The companies’ single-family homes and townhomes are said to come complete with refined interiors, high-end finishes and appliances, smart home technology and private garages, offering “a sense of elevated comfort” to customers.

Also, green spaces and thoughtful amenities such as resort-style pools, communal fieldhouses, and fitness centers create a sense of community.

From student housing to BTR

Oxenfree at Princeton offers a variety of amenities including a communal 10,000-square-foot “fieldhouse,” which includes a state-of-the-art fitness center and yoga room, coworking and event spaces, and an additional 7,500 square feet of programmed outdoor amenity spaces including a resort-style pool and spa, grilling stations, fire pits and more.

“Our vision at Core is to have a lifelong place in our residents’ lives. After spending nearly 18 years understanding and perfecting the student housing and conventional resident UX, we saw a huge opportunity to bring our design-focused and hospitality-driven approach to their next phase of life with Oxenfree,” Core Spaces co-founder and CEO Marc Lifshin said in a statement. “We’re as excited as ever about the opportunities in single family rentals and believe the time is now to disrupt the space and introduce a new standard of living with our purpose-built communities.”

Core said its BTR portfolio draws on its established success in student housing. Its award-winning student portfolio consists of over 60 communities and over 37,400 beds across the country, with a pipeline of over 35,000 beds.

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