Where Is River Place?

River Place is located in northern Belton, anchored off FM 439 (Lake Road) and just west of TX 317 (North Main Street). The neighborhood serves as a natural bridge between the commercial core of Belton and the recreational areas around Belton Lake and the Leon and Lampasas River corridors.

Key streets include River Place Drive (the primary spine), Pecos Trail, Canyon Springs Drive, Amber Forest Trail, Red Rock Drive, Belmont Drive, Belle Hubbard Trail, and Legend Oaks Boulevard. The subdivision spans multiple phases — the original River Place Addition sections were built in the late 1970s and 1980s, with River Place Estates phases expanding through the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s. Phases 10–12 are currently in preliminary plat review, adding another 137 acres off N. Main Street.

Belton High School sits directly across FM 439 — close enough for students to walk to campus. Sparta Elementary and North Belton Middle School are both within a mile.

Inside River Place

Oversized lots in River Place allow for fire pits, sport courts, and outdoor living that new subdivisions can't match

Custom brick and stone construction with mature landscaping

Updated interiors with open floor plans and natural light

What Homes Look Like in River Place

Because River Place was built over four decades rather than by a single volume builder in a few years, there's no cookie-cutter uniformity here. The streetscape features a mix of architectural styles, from traditional ranch homes in the original sections to sprawling custom estates in the newer phases.

The older 1980s sections offer solid 2,000–2,500 sq ft homes on standard lots — many with original finishes that are ready for cosmetic updates. The estate phases along Amber Forest Trail and River Place Drive feature 3,000–4,500+ sq ft custom builds on half-acre to full-acre lots, often with detached workshops, RV pads, pools, and sport courts.

River Place Market Data — 2025/2026

River Place operates as a dual-market within one neighborhood. The entry tier — older 2,000 sq ft homes in the original sections — trades in the mid-$300s to low $400s. The estate tier — 3,000–4,500+ sq ft custom builds on half-acre to acre lots — commands $500K to $800K+. Both tiers have held their pandemic-era equity gains better than dense tract housing in the broader Belton market.

Recent Sales in River Place

River Place for Investors: The Value-Add Opportunity

River Place isn't a day-one cash flow play at the estate tier. The real investor opportunity here is twofold: steady rental income from a school-zone-locked tenant base, and forced appreciation through strategic renovation of the older inventory.

The "Sweat Equity" Play

The older 1980s–1990s homes in the original River Place sections are where the real math works for investors. Here's why:

River Place Schools: Belton ISD Feeder Pattern

Drive Times from River Place

Why I Like River Place

Taylor's Take

The Neighborhood That Can't Be Replicated

I show a lot of new construction in Belton. It's clean, it's energy-efficient, and the builder will hand you the keys with a bow on them. But every time I drive through River Place, I'm reminded of something those new builds will never have: character.

This is the neighborhood where you pull into a driveway lined with 40-year-old crepe myrtles, walk into a living room with a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace, and look out the back window at a half-acre yard with Live Oaks older than your grandparents. You can't buy that in a new subdivision. You can't fast-track it. You can only find it here.

🏫 The school zone lock-in is the hidden gem. North Belton Middle is closed to transfers. Belton High is directly across the street. Families will pay a premium to live here for the schools alone — and that protects your property value whether you're a homeowner or an investor.

For move-up buyers: If you've outgrown your starter home and want real space — not just square footage, but actual land — River Place is where you graduate to. The $400K–$550K range gets you a 3,000+ sq ft custom home on a lot that's 3x the size of anything being built today.

For investors: The 1980s inventory is the play. Buy a solid brick home at $365K–$420K, update the interiors for $40K–$60K, and the comps support a $450K–$500K+ exit. The estate homes down the street set your ceiling at $800K. You literally cannot over-improve here.

And here's the kicker: The River Farm development is bringing 1,760 new homes to adjacent land. When that density arrives, the scarcity of River Place's big wooded lots becomes exponentially more valuable. This is a neighborhood that will only appreciate as everything around it gets denser.

Want to see what's available? Call me at (254) 718-4249 — I know this neighborhood inside and out.

River Place vs. Other Belton Neighborhoods

River Place stands alone in Belton for its combination of genuine acreage, walkable high school access, and architectural diversity. Dawson Ranch is the closest competitor in prestige, but River Place's lot sizes and BHS proximity give it an edge for families prioritizing space and schools.

Frequently Asked Questions