Homebuilding for the Kids

Texas Ranger Joe Nathan and team break ground on charity home

The Texas Rangers and Cole Luxury Homes are building a Grand Slam Home for the kids. The Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation and team pitcher Joe Nathan broke ground June 11 on a 5,900-square-foot house in Colleyville that will be sold in early 2014. About 100 people watched Nathan catch the ceremonial first pitch.

The twist is that the proceeds from the house will go directly to the foundation to help community children in crisis with health initiatives, baseball programs and education. Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation president Jim Sundberg says the foundation expects to receive $250,000 when the house sells.

“We’ll put that money to use where there is the greatest need at that point,” he says. “The foundation supports or donates to around 70 entities in this area. We have probably eight to 10 that are pretty dear to our hearts, so the monies would first be targeted for them.”

The two-story, four-bedroom home will be located on a half-acre plot and will include some serious amenities like a wine gallery, a library with bar and fireplace, an outdoor lounge with kitchen, a sunken courtyard, and a four-car garage.

The project is expected to cost $1.3 million and will be represented by Randy White Real Estate Services. Sundberg says that Park Place Dealerships was key in partnering Cole Luxury Homes and the foundation, after years of working with both sides.

“Park Place has been a partner in the Triple Play event for many years, and through that Cole Homes was encouraged to participate,” he says.

Construction on the house, at 6712 Westmont Dr. in Colleyville, will begin this summer.

Texas Rangers pitcher Joe Nathan catches the ground-breaking first pitch.

Photo courtesy of Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation

Texas Rangers pitcher Joe Nathan catches the ground-breaking first pitch.

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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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