Southern Land Company to Develop 1,271-Acre Master-Planned Community and Golf Club in Pittsboro, North Carolina

Southern Land Company has announced plans to develop a 1,271-acre master-planned community and private golf club within Chatham Park, located in Pittsboro, North Carolina, approximately 30 miles from Raleigh. The project will include an 18-hole full course, a 9-hole short course, and learning and practice facilities, all designed by Tom Fazio of Fazio Golf Design.

The announcement, made Sept. 22, 2026, marks Southern Land Company's entry into the North Carolina market and adds a major amenity-driven residential component to Chatham Park, an 8,500-acre master-planned development being built by Preston Development Company, co-founded by Julian "Bubba" Rawl and Tim Smith.

Project Details and Vision

The new community and golf club are currently in the planning and visioning stage. Southern Land Company has not yet announced a home count, commercial square footage, construction schedule, or capital budget for the project. The firm said it will release additional project information as it becomes available, directing interested parties to SouthernLandChathamPark.com.

"Creating a great community is more than just designing and building beautiful houses — it's about creating a sense of place and an experience that people are proud to call home," said Tim Downey, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Southern Land Company. "Chatham Park gives us an incredible opportunity to bring that vision to life alongside Preston Development Company and Tom Fazio, and we're excited to develop a truly special master planned, mixed-use community that will become a lasting part of the region."

Brian Sewell, President and Chief Operating Officer of Southern Land Company, described North Carolina as an important growth market for the firm. "Chatham Park presents a unique opportunity to create a community within one of North Carolina's most dynamic growth submarkets within the Southeast," Sewell said. "We look forward to creating a destination that will stand out in the Research Triangle for years to come."

Fazio Golf Design to Lead Course Architecture

Tom Fazio, founder and principal designer of Fazio Golf Design, will oversee the golf course design. Fazio has designed more than 200 courses worldwide over a career spanning more than six decades, with Fazio Golf Design's philosophy centered on integrating courses with natural surroundings and creating playable layouts for golfers of varying skill levels.

"With our deep connection to the Southeast through hundreds of projects and Southern Land Company's vision, commitment, and successful track record, we believe this site gives us a rare opportunity to create a truly distinctive golf course and community," Fazio said. "Our goal is to create a course that is visually spectacular, fun to play, and deeply connected to the natural character of the land."

Gavin Fazio, President of Fazio Golf Design, added that the scale and setting of the project represent an uncommon opportunity. "Opportunities to create something of this scale and vision, in a place we know and care about deeply, don't come along often," he said.

Chatham Park Context and Local Reception

Chatham Park has been in development for approximately 20 years and encompasses more than 2,000 acres planned for parks and open space, along with more than 60 miles of walking, biking, and multi-use trails. Existing and announced components of the broader development include MOSAIC, a walkable mixed-use town center; Northwood Landing; the Chatham Park YMCA; Asteria, a StoryLiving By Disney Community; Del Webb at Chatham Park; and a UNC Healthcare Medical Campus.

Julian "Bubba" Rawl, co-founder of Preston Development Company, said the Southern Land partnership advances the long-term vision for Chatham Park. "We've always envisioned Chatham Park as a community made up of vibrant and diverse neighborhoods with varying amenities, experiences, and settings," Rawl said. "Bringing a company like Southern Land Company and Tom Fazio to the project brings an extraordinary level of expertise, creativity, and vision to that aspiration."

Pittsboro Mayor Kyle Shipp also welcomed the announcement. "Chatham Park continues to bring high-quality projects and significant investment to Pittsboro," Shipp said. "This new Southern Land Company community and Tom Fazio-designed golf course are another example of the caliber of development taking shape here."

Southern Land Company's Master-Planned Track Record

Southern Land Company, founded in 1986, describes itself as a vertically integrated national real estate developer active in single-family, multifamily, and mixed-use communities. Its largest master-planned project to date is Westhaven in Franklin, Tennessee, a roughly 1,500-acre development featuring a championship golf course designed by Arthur Hills. Westhaven is expected to contain approximately 3,500 homes upon estimated completion in 2031.

The firm's broader single-family portfolio includes Tucker Hill in McKinney, Texas; Lunaroya, an 86-homesite community in Dripping Springs, Texas; Westerly in Erie, Colorado, planned for approximately 3,100 homes; Fairington in Nolensville, Tennessee, with more than 700 homes; and Mare Island, a large-scale adaptive reuse project on a former naval shipyard in Vallejo, California.

The Pittsboro project gives Southern Land Company a presence in the Research Triangle. The broader Raleigh-Durham multifamily market absorbed more than 33,000 units since 2023, a historically high level of new supply, though vacancy improved year over year in the second quarter of 2026 for the first time since early 2022, signaling a gradual move toward stabilization. Retail vacancy in the Raleigh market remained comparatively tight at approximately 4.9%, with rent growth of 3.8% year over year.

A master-planned community of this scale allows a developer to phase residential, retail, recreation, and institutional uses over many years, providing flexibility to respond to shifting market conditions. The addition of a private golf club designed by a nationally recognized architect can support higher-end residential positioning and long-term placemaking within a large development like Chatham Park.

Sources

Southern Land Company — Official Announcement, Sept. 22, 2026