R.I.P.

Dallas philanthropist and real estate tycoon Vance C. Miller dies at 79

As CultureMap contributor Candy Evans reports on her blog, Candy’s Dirt, real estate mogul, Republican donor and Dallas philanthropist Vance C. Miller died early Saturday morning after suffering a heart attack. He was 79.

Miller was chairman and chief executive officer of Henry S. Miller Companies, which was started by his grandfather, the company’s namesake, in 1914. After serving as a fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force, Miller joined the company in 1959.

By 1981, he had grown the company to the largest real estate brokerage firm in Texas and the seventh largest in the nation. Among the notable Dallas properties owned by Henry S. Miller Companies are Prestonwood Country Club, Signature Athletic Club, Preston Royal, Preston Trails and, until 2009, Highland Park Village.

Miller was born in Dallas in 1933, son of the late Henry S. Miller Jr. and Juanita Miller. He graduated from Southern Methodist University with a bachelor’s in business administration in 1954. During his career, he served on the board of directors of many public companies and financial institutions.

He and his wife of more than 50 years, Geraldine “Tincy” Miller are known for being active in numerous civic and charitable organizations in Dallas. Just last week, at the Virginia Chandler Dykes Leadership Award luncheon, Tincy Miller was recognized for providing one of the four scholarships given to four outstanding graduate students.

Miller is survived by his wife; two sons, Vaughn Miller and Greg Miller, and daughter, Cynthia Vance-Abrams.

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GP News

Grand Prairie expands to the south with new master-planned community

Rendering courtesy of Provident

Goodland Grand Prairie

The City of Grand Prairie is growing fast and expanding to make way for a new master-planned development south of US Highway 287 and along Tollway 360, in Ellis and Johnson counties.

The community development, called Goodland, is the result of Grand Prairie’s recent 1,500-acre annexation extending its southern border toward Mansfield. Overall, with the added land, Goodland will be a 5,000-acre site featuring 15,000 residences including townhomes, custom homes, and gated communities for 50,000 residents.

According to a release, it will be a “city within a city” and a 45-minute drive from Dallas-Fort Worth. Beyond housing, there will be shops, restaurants, schools, public and private event venues, regional sports fields and complexes, dance halls, churches, trail systems, city parks, ponds, and preserved green spaces.

“This is a significant step in our city’s development,” says Grand Prairie Mayor Ron Jensen in a statement. “Unlike many of our neighboring cities, we have the unique advantage of new development opportunities to our south that will drive the growth and prosperity of our city. We recognized the opportunity and took decisive action.”

Leading the development is Provident, a Dallas-based real estate firm that has created other master-planned communities across Dallas-Fort Worth, such as Preston Hollow Village and Hillstead in Collin County. Provident has plans to work nature into the space design with more than 1,600 acres of creek corridors and floodplain land.

Plans are ongoing for a centralized mixed-use walkable Town Center, complete with civic buildings and other commercial development. Further south on the property near Highway 67, light industrial uses and other private employment campuses are already underway, projects that will contribute vital tax dollars for city growth and future expansions.

“This level of placemaking is quite rare, and certainly not easy to execute, especially in a brand-new community," says Provident Managing Director Rylan Yowell in a statement. "We are committed to a long-term vision with a desire to be good stewards of the land."

A new four-lane road called Goodland Parkway will link Goodland to Grand Prairie at Tollway 360 and US Highway 287. It's set to open by December 2025.

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