High-Rise Home Run

Uptown Dallas' next haute high-rise promises to be a mind-blower

Real estate VIPs and select members of the media recently gathered for a cocktail reception to get a sneak peek at Bleu Ciel, the Harwood District’s next luxury high-rise. Bleu Ciel is set to break ground this fall, and it promises to be Dallas’ next residential hot spot.

World-renowned architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte designed the Bleu Ciel tower, which will be located across the street from Azure condominiums. The gardens and retail-level plaza will be nestled within curated environments designed by equally renowned landscape architect Sadafumi Uchiyama of the Portland Japanese Garden.

Gabriel Barbier-Mueller, founder and CEO of Harwood International, was beaming with pride as he showed off the 3D models and rattled off the unprecedented list of amenities future Bleu Ciel dwellers will enjoy. The ground level will feature a gourmet grocery market, restaurant, juice bar and bike shop. Additional amenities include a wine tasting room; private boardroom; onsite dog run; social room with full catering kitchen; and an event space with private catering available from Marie Gabrielle, Mercat Bistro and Saint Ann.

Bleu Ciel also will boast two junior Olympic-size pools with cascading water features, cabanas, hot tub, and poolside kitchen and grills. A residents-only spa will be designed by the award-winning Be a Dragonfly Spa Group, recognized by Condé Nast as one of the top 25 spas in the world for its facility at Primland Resort.

And we haven’t even talked about the living spaces. This 33-story tower will be a mind-blower, with floor-to-ceiling glass, airy open-plan interiors and sweeping terraces to fully enjoy the Dallas skyline. As one would expect, finishes and appliances will be top-of-the-line.

Residents can choose from two- and three-bedroom floor plans, ranging from 1,300 square feet to more than 7,000. Units are priced from the $700,000s.

“Dallas continues to attract international and domestic newcomers who expect a world-class lifestyle,” Barbier-Mueller said. “This international lifestyle also appeals to the growing number of Dallasites who wish to experience the billion-dollar cultural ‘art-chitecture’ monuments within a short stroll of Bleu Ciel.”

Although the sales center is now open, those who are ready to sign their names on the dotted line have to wait a little while to move in: The estimated date of completion is winter 2016.

Bleu Ciel, which is set to break ground this fall, will be located across from Azure condominiums.

Rendering of Bleu Ciel high-rise condo in Dallas

Photo courtesy of Bleu Ciel

Bleu Ciel, which is set to break ground this fall, will be located across from Azure condominiums.

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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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