Grounded decisions.
Real accountability.
Veritas Communities is a North Texas land development firm focused on creating communities that stand the test of time. Our work begins with a clear vision for what a place can become and is grounded in the realities required to deliver it well.
Our Team
Veritas Communities is led by a hands-on team that stays directly accountable for decisions and outcomes. These are the people making the calls and carrying them through as projects move from concept into delivery.
Financial discipline, entitlement judgment, delivery reality, and long-term vision are present from the start. Decisions are tested against the full picture, not just what works on paper, but what will perform over time.
This balance is intentional. Vision is treated as a driver of value, not decoration. Execution is not reduced to a spreadsheet exercise. Together, this team brings field-tested experience, clear judgment, and direct ownership to deliver communities that stand up over time.
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Kevin Lazares
PRESIDENT AND MANAGING MEMBER
Kevin brings over a decade of industry experience to Veritas Communities. Most recently, he served as Division President for Forestar’s Dallas–Fort Worth operations, where he led an 18-person team and increased divisional PTI from $9M to $26M within four years.His experience spans acquisition, entitlement, development, and disposition across North Texas. He evaluates projects with a clear view of how communities will function and age. He looks past feasibility to long-term coherence and durability.
Kevin sets the tone for disciplined decision-making at Veritas Communities. He carries a clear picture of the finished community while testing the assumptions that shape it early.
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Ryan Gaughan
VICE PRESIDENT OF LAND ACQUISITION
Ryan previously served in senior acquisition leadership at Forestar Real Estate Group, overseeing a $300M division allocation across Dallas–Fort Worth. During his tenure, he helped source, entitle, and close 14 projects and underwrote more than 100 opportunities across the market.
He evaluates land through the lens of approvals, infrastructure, phasing, and absorption. His discipline helps Veritas Communities avoid deals that work on paper but fail under real conditions.
Ryan brings discipline to early risk visibility and structuring before capital is committed.
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Ethan Francis
VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT
Ethan previously served as Director of Development at Forestar Real Estate Group, managing lot development across Dallas–Fort Worth. Prior to Forestar, he spent nine years at FCS overseeing projects across Texas and Oklahoma.
His experience spans entitlement coordination, infrastructure construction, budgeting, scheduling, and field execution.
Ethan anchors delivery reality. He works directly with contractors, consultants, and municipalities to ensure what is planned can be built and completed without compromise.
Experienced Leadership
Veritas Communities was founded in 2024 by three North Texas land development executives with institutional leadership experience across the Dallas–Fort Worth market.
Collectively, the team has:
5,000+
Developed more than 5,000 residential lots
8,000+
Acquired more than
8,000+ lots
100+
100+ projects underwritten
across DFW
$300M
Led divisions
responsible for over
$300M in land allocation
Prior leadership roles include Forestar Real Estate Group and FCS Construction, two of the most active residential development and construction platforms in the region.
Working at that scale shaped how the team thinks about risk, capital, and execution. Veritas Communities was formed to apply that experience in a more focused model, with fewer layers and direct accountability from acquisition through lot delivery and HOA turnover.
OUR APPROACH
Real estate development rewards clarity and discipline. We approach each project with full context, from entitlement and financing to infrastructure and long-term operations.
These principles define how that discipline shows up in practice.
Real-World Perspective
We plan with a clear understanding of how a project will be financed, approved, built, and lived in.
Market demand, infrastructure, phasing, and long-term operations are part of the same conversation. Decisions are made with full context.
The Land Leads
Every site has its own character. Topography, access, natural features, and infrastructure inform how the community should take form.
When the land drives the plan, the community holds up over time. It is built to age well and remain relevant years after opening.
Relationships First
Development moves at the speed of trust. We work directly with municipalities, builders, consultants, and capital partners to keep decisions clear and aligned.
Trust is built through reliability, follow-through, and shared ownership of outcomes.
Practical Foresight
We understand how decisions in entitlement, infrastructure, builder coordination, and long-term ownership influence one another.
We bring the right people into the conversation at the right time so projects move from approval to construction with clarity rather than rework.
This is about anticipating how each decision shapes the next and connecting the pieces early so execution stays aligned.