Leadership
Thirty years of Texas dirt, run by the person who signs for it.
Williamson Land Holdings is led by its principal, not a committee. The same person who underwrites the deal negotiates the contract, sits in the pre-development meeting and answers the lender's questions.
Principal
David L. Williamson
Land Acquisition · Development · Executive Operations — Katy, Texas
A real estate development executive with more than thirty years leading land acquisition, entitlement and horizontal development across the Texas market. His portfolio spans 35 master-planned and residential communities with an estimated aggregate development value of roughly $630 million, at an $18 million average project value.
That work was delivered inside seven national homebuilders and development platforms — Forestar, KB Home, Pulte, Taylor Morrison, Ryland, MHI and Wan Bridge's W Land Development — in roles running from land project manager to Vice President of Financial Investment & Development. The through-line is unglamorous and specific: converting non-performing assets into revenue-generating lot inventory, standing up development platforms from scratch, and hitting schedule and budget on horizontal work where neither is forgiving.
Williamson Land Holdings applies that same operating discipline to its own balance sheet, in the Gulf Coast industrial corridor where committed industrial capital has outrun the housing built to serve it.
Core competencies
What this desk does without hiring it out
- Land acquisition & entitlement
- Capital structuring & project finance
- Horizontal development operations
- MUD, HOA & municipal coordination
- Submarket & feasibility analysis
- Asset repositioning & balance sheet cleanup
- Purchase and sale negotiation & contract structuring
- Consultant, engineer and contractor management
- Build-to-rent and workforce housing delivery
Experience
Where the track record was built
Seven national builders and development platforms across the Houston, Fort Bend and San Antonio submarkets, plus two consulting practices advising private capital on acquisition and financing.
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2025Jan – Aug 2025
Vice President of Financial Investment & Development
Forestar, Inc. · Houston, TX
Reported to the Division President with ownership of day-to-day operations across the active development portfolio and of division growth through new project acquisition. Led the Director of Acquisitions and Director of Development.
- Sourced and underwrote new development opportunities through an active business development pipeline.
- Identified trending submarkets through market analysis, directing acquisition toward the highest-absorption corridors.
- Instituted weekly production reviews holding every project to its milestone dates.
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2021–2023May 2021 – 2023
Sr. Director of Land Development
W Land Development (Wan Bridge Group) · Houston, TX
Built the land development function for a start-up build-to-rent platform — writing the procedures, hiring the personnel and consultants, and converting non-producing assets into quarterly cash-flow-generating inventory.
- Turned a portfolio of stalled assets into quarterly lot inventory by standing up development procedures from scratch.
- Structured inter-departmental workflow across acquisition, funding and construction handoff, contract to vertical.
- Partnered with a national REIT on project coordination and delivery requirements.
- Audited project manager performance and asset inventory, then trained the PM team on the resulting policies.
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2019–2021Jun 2019 – May 2021
Director of Land
KB Home Lone Star, Inc. · Houston, TX
Directed the land development staff delivering finished lots to the KB Home construction division, coordinating annual goals with Division Operations and the transition of newly acquired tracts with acquisitions.
- Converted non-performing assets into viable selling communities, restoring revenue from stalled inventory.
- Generated off-balance-sheet revenue by negotiating and selling easements to multiple government entities.
ProjectsBriscoe Falls · Breckenridge Forest · Glendale Lakes · Olympia Falls · Vida Costera · Sunrise Lakes
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2014–20182014 – Jun 2018
Consultant
WWE Ventures, LLC · Houston, TX
Advised corporate and individual clients on land acquisition and development: business plans, financial models, land selection, submarket growth analysis, permitting and project budgeting.
- Secured a 13.2-acre site valued near $3.8M for a client's 296-unit multi-family project; the resulting $44.5M building contract was awarded.
- Obtained preliminary HUD approval for a client under the 221(d)(4) program and delivered a 4-acre investment community for a private investor.
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2013–20142013 – 2014
Project Manager
Taylor Morrison of Texas, Inc. · Houston, TX
Managed roughly 15 concurrent design and construction projects — survey and land plan review, monthly MUD meetings, contractor pay estimates, vendor vetting and HOA protocols for new communities.
- Cut the monthly closing cycle by three days through targeted process improvements.
- Delivered Grand Vista, a Fort Bend County master-planned community, directing water, sewer and drainage construction.
- Co-developed a financial modeling database adopted by a national builder to evaluate new project acquisitions.
ProjectsHarmony master-planned community · Sienna Plantation — Sorrento
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2006–20132006 – 2013
Principal
EDM Development Group, LLC · Houston, TX
Advised independent and small-business clients on land acquisition, assembled financing packages, set construction and design budgets with consultants, and secured raw acreage for single-family residential projects.
- Raised $1M to acquire 18 acres for an 89-lot residential project, then negotiated a 28% profit margin with the third-party builder at completion.
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2004–20072004 – 2007
Land Manager
Pulte Home of Texas, L.P. · Houston, TX
Analyzed acquisition feasibility for investment properties, oversaw development of acquired land, forecast results with flash reporting to the VP of Finance, and supervised direct reports across purchasing, homebuilding and sales.
- Closed over $20M in acquisitions in 2005 to meet Houston division inventory needs.
- Oversaw construction of Water's Edge, an 800-home community and one of the Houston submarket's most recognized master-planned developments.
ProjectsWater's Edge · Westheimer Lakes · Fall Creek · Gleannloch Farms · Sienna Plantation · Del Webb · Louetta Woods · Avondale on Main Street · Canyon Gate at Northpointe · Canyon Gate at Barker Cypress
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2002–20042002 – 2004
Land Project Manager
KB Home Lone Star, L.P. · Houston, TX
Executed land acquisition feasibility analysis, development and lot delivery. Reviewed acquisition contracts, surveys, geotechnical and title reports and environmental site assessments, structured terms to maximize ROI, and managed development and utility installation schedules with local officials, community boards and engineers.
ProjectsBlue Creek Ranch · Northwest Park · Willow Creek · Remington Ranch
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EarlierAdditional experience
Manager of Land Resources · Land Contract Administrator
RH of Texas / The Ryland Group, Inc. · McGuyer Homebuilders (MHI) · Houston & San Antonio, TX
Land resource management and land contract administration across master-planned community and townhome programs in the Houston and San Antonio submarkets.
ProjectsNew Territory · Greatwood Town Homes · The Woodlands Villages · Kingwood · Pecan Grove · Mandolin · Silverlake Pearland · Coles Crossing · Champions Forest · Eagle Ridge · Friendswood
Credentials
Education, licensure and public service.
- Sam Houston State University — Huntsville, Texas
- State of Texas Insurance License — Life, Accident & Health
- Board President, Harris County Municipal Utility District No. 458
- Thirty years of continuous relationships across Texas municipal, MUD, utility and engineering jurisdictions
Selected communities
Thirty-five Texas communities
A partial list of the master-planned, residential and townhome communities this track record was delivered through, across seven builders and platforms.
Next step
Diligence the sponsor before you diligence the deal.
Lenders and equity partners are welcome to a full resume, references from prior builder platforms, and a walk-through of any project on this page.