Plans could bring 68-acre lake to Grand Prairie

by Kirk Dickey of Grand Prairie TODAY

Construction of the lake would also create land that would be a mixed use zoning, with office space, warehousing and retail.

GRAND PRAIRIE — Grand Prairie may see a major retail development north of I-30 in the coming years, if a land reclamation plan is approved by the Corps of Engineers.

Crow Holdings would like to develop land north of Wildlife Parkway along Belt Line Road, now in the Trinity River flood plain, by creating a 68-acre lake on the property and digging drainage wells that flow under Belt Line Road to reconnect to the Trinity River. The dirt and soil from the lake will be placed on the low-lying areas and built up into area capable of development.

The lake would ultimately be conveyed over to the city of Grand Prairie.

The surrounding land would be a mixed use zoning, with office space, warehousing and retail along Belt Line and about 30 acres reserved for “higher and better uses,” meaning entertainment, retail or other uses. That could include a 58-acre retail development with 550,000 square feet of space.

Crow Holdings Director Steve Bancroft recently told the Grand Prairie City Council that as long as the Corps of Engineers approves the company's plans, it would take about a year to begin developing, including a few months for design and the lake's construction and rearrangement of soil. The area's infrastructure, including roads and utilities, would go in as the project develops, he said.

Grand Prairie Economic Development Director Bob O'Neal said the Tax Increment Funding Board has already approved adding it to that funding device. The council will be updated as plans for the development progress.

“We believe this will be one of our best opportunities to bring retail to the north side of I-30,” O'Neal said.

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