How Do Starwood and Phillips Creek Ranch Compare in Frisco, Texas?

How do Starwood and Phillips Creek Ranch compare in Frisco, Texas? It depends on whether you want a gated community of custom homes or a master-planned community with resort-style pools. Starwood is a gated, guard-staffed community of more than 900 custom homes on about 550 acres, in Collin County. Phillips Creek Ranch is a master-planned community in Denton County with two pool complexes, lakes, trails and a Texas ranch history. Both sit in southwest Frisco and Frisco ISD.

Omega Mejia is a real estate agent in Frisco, Texas helping buyers and sellers make the right move, and buyers weigh these two when they want a Frisco community with real amenities. This post puts them side by side on facts.

Starwood is a gated community in southwest Frisco, on about 550 acres, with more than 900 custom homes. It has three controlled-access gates and a guard on duty around the clock at the main gate. It sits in Collin County and Frisco ISD, near Dallas North Tollway and Lebanon Road.

The community has a clubhouse, a pool, tennis courts, an exercise facility, a playground, a walking trail and Arrowhead Pond. The HOA is run by volunteers and hosts events through the year, including barbecues, holiday parties, fitness classes and book clubs.

Starwood Park covers 2.2 acres at 6551 Starwood Drive with benches and a walking trail. The 1.3-mile Starwood Trail follows the creek corridor north from Lebanon Road to Stonebrook Parkway, and heading south leads toward The Star. The Shops at Starwood, a Mediterranean-inspired shopping center, is at 6959 Lebanon Road.

My post on Starwood goes deeper on the community.

Phillips Creek Ranch is a master-planned community in southwest Frisco, built on land that was once the B.F. Phillips Ranch. It sits in Denton County and Frisco ISD.

Two pool complexes anchor the amenities. Vista Park has a junior Olympic-size pool and a leisure pool with a beach entry. Riverton has a resort-style pool and a splash pad. Both open from May to October. A 2,020-square-foot fitness facility sits next to the lap pool, and Cascades Park has a group fitness space. The community also has a Texas Backyard with horseshoe pits, bocce, sand volleyball, grills, patio swings and a fire pit, plus hike and bike trails and 25 bronze horse sculptures, each over 1,000 pounds.

Reclaimed water from the City of Frisco irrigates the open spaces and common areas, about 150 million gallons a year.

My post on Phillips Creek Ranch goes deeper on the community.

The first difference is the county. Starwood is in Collin County, and Phillips Creek Ranch is in Denton County.

The second difference is access. Starwood is gated with a guard at the main gate around the clock. That sets the daily experience of arriving home.

The third difference is the amenity style. Starwood centers on one clubhouse with a pool, tennis courts and an exercise facility. Phillips Creek Ranch spreads its amenities across two pool complexes, a fitness facility, group fitness space, a Texas Backyard and a trail system.

The fourth difference is the home count and type. Starwood has more than 900 custom homes. Phillips Creek Ranch is built in sections, so the styles can change from one section to the next.

The fifth difference is history. Phillips Creek Ranch sits on a ranch that began in 1936 with 640 acres east of FM 423. The ranch later grew past 1,800 acres, and its quarter horse Dash for Cash is the only horse to win the Champion of Champions twice. The Vista Park Welcome Center now stands on the site of the Big House, and the land was sold in the late 1990s.

Both communities sit close to B.F. Phillips Community Park, a 107-acre City park at 3335 Timber Ridge Drive with baseball and softball fields, a football field, a soccer field, a playground, a walking trail, a bike trail, Dash's Track Disc Golf Course and Ruff Range Dog Park.

Starwood adds its own Starwood Park and trail. Phillips Creek Ranch sits near Plum Creek Park at Plum Creek Drive and Stonebrook Parkway, which has a basketball court, a pavilion, a playground and a walking trail, and Pearson Acres Park at 7550 Teel Parkway, which has fitness equipment, a pavilion and a walking trail. Old Orchard Park and Wranglers Range Park are also close by, and the City has set aside land for a future Frisco Lakes Park.

A community name does not set a price. Two homes in the same community can differ in size, age and finish, so the comparison that matters is home to home.

The name also does not tell you which section a home belongs to. Phillips Creek Ranch was built in sections, and Starwood is made up of custom homes, so style varies from home to home. I help buyers read those differences, and I tell you what I'm seeing, and what I recommend, before you write an offer.

A short list beats a long one. These five choices separate the two for most buyers:

• Decide how much you want a gate. Starwood is gated with a guard, and Phillips Creek Ranch is a master-planned community with open amenities.
• Pick your pool style. A single clubhouse pool suits a compact routine, and two pool complexes with a splash pad suit a longer season of swimming.
• Weigh the county. Collin and Denton set different tax rules for the same price of home.
• Time your commute from each. The median in Frisco is 28.6 minutes, and your own drive depends on where you work.
• Anchor your price to recent sales. I pull sales from the same street, not a citywide average.

My buying a home page shows how I work with buyers, and my Frisco page covers the wider city.

I'm Omega Mejia with Simply Great Real Estate Group at OnDemand Realty. I sell homes in Frisco, Texas and the surrounding Collin County areas in North Texas, and I serve the Florida Panhandle.

I hold a Master's degree and bring 30+ years in education, fitness coaching, and sales. Education taught me to explain the why, coaching taught me to keep people moving toward a goal, and sales taught me to negotiate.

I'm certified in AI marketing, a Realtor® with designations in SRES®, ABR, GRI, RENE, a Certified Community Market Leader, and a Certified Commercial Specialist. Licensed in Texas and Florida.

If you are weighing Starwood against Phillips Creek Ranch, send me a message and tell me what you need from your next home. If you own in either one and want to know what your home would sell for, start with my free home value page, or tell me about your plans.

Source: City of Frisco parks and HOA directory data; U.S. Census Bureau. This article describes my general approach and is not legal, tax or lending advice.