A groundbreaking ceremony was held Monday for Westmoore Landing, a planned $2.2 billion mixed-use community near historic Mooresville. Developers Donald F. “Trey” Rochford of Rochford Realty & Construction Co., Inc. and David Horwath, president of Land Innovations, were among those marking the start of the project.

The ceremony was held August 31 at the Westmoore Landing property on Arrowhead Landing Road and marked the transition from years of planning to the beginning of construction.

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and Huntsville City Council Member John Meredith delivered remarks during the ceremony. Mooresville Mayor Nikki Sprader and Alabama State Sen. Arthur Orr were among the public officials in attendance.

“A groundbreaking is the point when years of planning begin to become visible on the land,” Horwath said. “Our objective is not simply to develop a piece of property. It is to create a community that can mature naturally over time and provide a place for people at every stage of life.”

At full buildout, Westmoore Landing is planned to include thousands of homes, commercial destinations, parks, public spaces and community amenities. The community will provide a range of housing opportunities and settings intended to serve people at different stages of life.

The story of Westmoore Landing began with the McCrary family’s desire to create something special for property their family has cared for over generations. Rather than viewing the property simply as a land transaction, the family sought a plan that would respect the land, contribute to the surrounding area and have a positive impact extending well beyond the current generation.

“The McCrary family did not simply ask what could be built on this property,” Rochford said. “They asked what kind of place it should become and challenged us to create something that would have a multigenerational impact. That expectation has guided the project from the beginning.”

The planning philosophy behind Westmoore Landing looks backward as well as forward. The development team has studied the characteristics of towns and neighborhoods that have endured over generations and considered how those principles can be applied to the way people live today.

“We want Westmoore Landing to feel less like a development built all at once and more like a town that grew naturally over generations,” Rochford said. “That does not mean attempting to recreate the past. It means understanding the principles that allowed the best communities to remain successful and applying those lessons to the needs and realities of the present.”

Westmoore Landing uses a form-based approach to guide the character and intensity of development throughout the community. More active mixed-use areas will transition into residential neighborhoods offering different housing types, sizes and price points.

Streets, parks, greens, gathering places, commercial areas and community amenities are being planned to work together as parts of the same community. The intent is to allow Westmoore Landing to grow gradually, with new elements added over time without losing the character established at its beginning.

“Westmoore Landing has required persistence, cooperation and a shared commitment to the long-term vision for this property,” Horwath said. “This groundbreaking represents an important transition from planning the community to building the streets, public spaces and infrastructure that will provide its foundation.”

The ceremony also recognized the McCrary family’s longstanding stewardship of the property and the role of 1818 Farms in carrying that legacy into the land’s next chapter.

The program concluded with the ceremonial turning of the soil and group photographs with members of the McCrary family, public officials, community leaders, project partners and members of the development team.