Dallas developer Kent Donahue has a lot of decisions to make in the next few months as plans for hisproposed $1 billion resort-anchored project takes shape on the banks of Lake Ray Hubbard.
The most earth-changing decision will be centered on Donahue possibly developing a man-made blue lagoon within Lake Ray Hubbard, giving the development a sorely-needed destination (besides the lakeside property).
Donahue plans to visit Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, next week to see one of these lagoons — trademarked through Crystal Lagoons — that bring a water-friendly destination to properties not lucky enough to be located along the coast. The lagoons, or gigantic swimming pools, also offer swimmable water for people who would otherwise not be able to swim in the existing water.
Texas only has one natural lake, Caddo Lake along the Texas-Lousiana border. The man-made lakes often have dangerous undertows and a murkiness that doesn't invite swimmers. But man-made lagoons would have a filtration system that would cleanse the water, making it safe and swimmable.
Right now, Donahue told me he's leaning towards bringing in a Crystal Lagoon. It could be a difference maker for the $1 billion resort-anchored development, which will serve as the city entrance for Rowlett.
The project will sit on a 257-acre tract on Lake Ray Hubbard that was once called Elgin B. Robertson Park and was owned by the City of Dallas Parks Department.
An affiliate of Dallas-based Donahue Development Corp., Bayside Land Partners LLC, bought the property for $31.8 million with help from Rowlett, which wanted the developer to help transform the suburb into a regional destination.
“We think if we do our jobs right, it won’t just be a draw from the eastern side of town, but it will be a draw from all over North Texas,” Donahue, president of Donahue Development Corp., told the Dallas Business Journal in an exclusive interview.
"There are a lot of good characteristics about this land, which include it being 15 miles outside a major metro area,” he said. “If you incorporate the lake component with a proposed resort, this could quickly become a staycation for a lot of people.”
If Donahue moves quickly, this could be the first Crystal Lagoon to be built in Texas. Crystal Lagoons, a Netherlands-based company whose U.S. headquarters is in Miami, is negotiating 35 such projects in the United States. The first Crystal Lagoon in the United States is slated for delivery in June 2016 in the Tampa area.
The lagoons take six to 10 months to develop. The costs range between $100,000 to $200,000 per acre for the equipment, liner and machine rooms with the majority of lagoons being 5 to 10 acres.
Donahue is considering building a 5.5-acre lagoon, which could cost $1.1 million. The development, which he plans to brand "Bayside," is expected to include:
- 350 single-family homes
- About 3,000 apartment homes
- 1.75 million square feet of commercial real estate, including about 500,000 square feet of office space
- A possible 500-room resort on the south end of the property at its peninsula
- A possible 10-story condo tower
- A possible limited service hotel
- 1,000 boat slips over the next seven years
- A weekend event lawn and water show fountain
Donahue plans to complete the engineering of Bayside by the end of the year, with construction slated on the initial phase of the project immediately afterwards. The initial phase includes single-family homes and apartments.
To get an idea of what a Crystal Lagoon looks like, we've attached some photos of different lagoons developed throughout the world by the company.
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