What does a seventh pool add once October arrives? At The Paddock, quite a bit. Santa Rita Ranch's newest amenity complex opened in the Saddleback neighborhood in May. Its first fall is shaping up to be a better guide to how it will be used than its first summer was.
Timing is part of the reason. The commercial corner at Ronald Reagan Boulevard and State Highway 29 now has finish dates set for 2027, both for the shopping center and for the road leading to it. Until then, the corner will look like a construction site. For the next year or so, the most useful additions to Santa Rita Ranch sit inside the community. The Paddock leads that list, and it was designed for more than one season.
A Pool Complex With Half Its Courts Indoors
Community Impact reported that The Paddock covers 5 acres and adds two pools: a resort pool and a lap pool. The complex also has a 3,522-square-foot clubhouse, a playground, and a trike track sized for small riders. With these two, Santa Rita Ranch has seven pools.
The courts matter more in fall than the pool count does. The Paddock has four pickleball courts. Two are indoors and two are outdoors. Ranch Camp, the 8-acre amenity center that got a new playground in October 2025, has two outdoor pickleball courts. That makes The Paddock the only place on the community's amenity list with pickleball under a roof. Weather can't cancel those games, whether it's a cold front, a hot afternoon, or a rainy evening.
The pool already has fall programming. Santa Rita Ranch's public calendar lists YMCA Swim Lessons at The Paddock on October 7, from 5 to 7 p.m. The developer hasn't published a 2026 schedule showing which pools stay open into late fall or whether any are heated. Check the HOA portal before planning a swim. The community's TownSq FAQ lists general pool hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. It also notes that the Ranch House closes on Mondays except holidays and The Hub closes on Tuesdays for maintenance.
Developer Ed Horne gave the bigger number in the opening announcement. He said the community has opened "more than $80 million worth of pools, parks, sports fields, spaces to gather, fitness center and other amenities" so residents can find recreation "near their homes, no matter where they live in the community." Brenner Design Build designed The Paddock, Larson & Burns did the landscape design, and Epic Design Build managed construction.
The October Calendar Is Spread Across the Whole Map
Look at the community calendar as a map, not just a list of classes. This month's recurring activities are spread across at least five venues, and The Paddock is now one of them.
| Date | Activity | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 5 | Silver Fit; Silver & Strong; Zumba and Bollywood Zumba | The Wellness Barn; Happy's Barn; Happy's Party Barn |
| Oct. 6 | F3 Men's Fitness and F3 Boot Camp; Yoga; Rooted Youth Training | The Hub; Happy's Party Barn; Ranch Camp Turf |
| Oct. 7 | YMCA Swim Lessons; Connect Church Team Kid | The Paddock; The Hub |
| Oct. 8 | Ladies Mahjong Game Night; Zumba; Rooted Youth Training | The Hub; listed venues |
| Oct. 9 | Dance Up Kids Dance Class | Happy's Party Barn |
| Oct. 10 | Dance Up Adult Dance Class | Happy's Party Barn |
The schedule runs past October. Silver Fit, Silver & Strong, Zumba and Bollywood Zumba appear again on November 2. The Dance Up Adult Dance Class at Happy's Party Barn is listed for November 7 and November 28. The resident events page also has filters for Food Trucks and Signature Events. As of early October, though, the public calendar doesn't show a dated fall festival or food truck night for 2026. Watch that page for one.
When food trucks are booked, the community's amenity guide points to The Green. The Green has a food truck lot along with basketball courts, a covered pavilion, a fitness zone and an event lawn. Between classes, the trail system offers plenty of named places to walk. Ed's Lake, Trail Lake, the Ranch House Trail Head, Headwaters Preserve, Hideaway Park, Bark Park, Marriage Park and C.A.'s Lake all appear on the community's parks and trails page.
The Corner Moves From Announcement to Construction
All of that activity happens inside the community. Outside, at the corner that is effectively Santa Rita Ranch's front door, the news this fall is construction. Here is the order of events so far:
- August 2024. Williamson County began widening about 7 miles of Ronald Reagan Boulevard, from FM 3405 to Hwy. 29. The plan includes separate northbound and southbound roadways. The $52.4 million project is paid for by the county's 2019 road bond.
- August 2025. The Liberty Hill Independent first reported plans for a Walmart after a site permit was filed for the property in Liberty Hill's extraterritorial jurisdiction.
- May 2026. Walmart was named the anchor of Santa Rita Ranch Center at the northwest corner of Ronald Reagan Boulevard and SH 29. The center is planned as a $100 million development of about 400,000 square feet, and the store is expected to bring about 400 jobs.
- July 2026. The county's update said new traffic signals were working at Ronald Reagan Boulevard and Santa Rita Boulevard. Widening work was still underway.
- September 14, 2026. Filings with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation described a 176,246-square-foot Walmart Supercenter at 19699 Ronald W. Reagan Blvd., with an estimated construction cost of $12.2 million. A separate filing covers a 1,511-square-foot fuel station at 19883 Ronald W. Reagan Blvd.
- October 2026. This is when the filings say store construction is scheduled to begin.
- Summer 2027. The current target for finishing the Ronald Reagan widening.
- November 2027. The filings' target for finishing the Walmart.
Measured from this month, the store's projected finish is about 13 months away. The road is due a few months earlier. Both dates are projections from filings and county updates, and construction schedules often slip.
The Independent also reported that earlier leasing materials listed possible tenants for the surrounding development, including Longhorn Steakhouse, Olive Garden, Bubba's 33, PetSmart and Ross, plus a future Lowe's nearby. None of those has been formally announced as part of Santa Rita Ranch Center. For now, treat them as possibilities.
Two New Tables Already Open Near the Gate
The corner's restaurant scene started before the shopping center did. Hopdoddy Burger Bar opened its first Leander location on September 1 at 19389 Ronald Reagan Blvd., Suite 100, after two preview nights on August 29 and 30. Community Impact describes the spot as near the Hwy. 29 border with Georgetown and Santa Rita. The menu centers on specialty burgers such as the Cadillac Wagyu, along with salads, fried chicken and milkshakes.
A few days earlier, on August 26, Rodeo Mexican Kitchen & Bar opened at 13750 W. Hwy. 29 near the Hwy. 1869 intersection. It comes from the owners of Marisol's Mexican Grill, a longtime Georgetown restaurant. The menu includes ceviche, pozole, chile verde and a "Rodeo Steak" plate, plus mixed and bottled drinks.
Both restaurants opened ahead of a commercial center that is still a year or more from finished. They can be reached through the new signals at Santa Rita Boulevard while widening work continues around them.
Planning a Fall Week Around What's Finished
Put together, the timeline is simple. Through 2027, the finished amenities are inside the community, and The Paddock is the one built to work in any weather. A weeknight could start with a pickleball match on The Paddock's indoor courts while swim lessons run in the pool. A Saturday could be a walk around Ed's Lake or Trail Lake, followed by burgers at Hopdoddy or pozole at Rodeo. The construction fences along Ronald Reagan will stay up while the road and the store work toward their 2027 finish dates.
If you're thinking about how The Paddock or the new Santa Rita Ranch Center could affect the value of a home in Saddleback or anywhere else in the community, Bryan Thomas can walk you through it. That includes reading construction filings and understanding project timelines. Work With Bryan.
