$1B Master-Planned Development Moves Forward in Dallas Metro

By Gail Kalinoski

Rowlett, Texas—Construction on a $1 billion mixed-use, master-planned development featuring the first Crystal Lagoon in Texas will begin in March. It will take two years to complete the 262-acre Bayside project along Lake Ray Hubbard in Rowlett, Texas, about 15 miles from downtown Dallas.

Bayside Site Plan Birdseye

Lifescapes International, a Newport Beach, Calif.-based landscape architectural firm, has been tapped by Bayside Land Partners LLC, comprising Kent Donahue and Wilks Development, to design the overall landscape environment for Bayside. The master-planned community will feature 1.5 million square feet of commercial space, including 3,000 residential units, a 1,000-slip marina and 700 hotel rooms. There will be about 300,000 square feet of entertainment and dining space and 800,000 square feet of mixed-use office and retail space. Lifescapes, which has extensive experience in designing mixed-use and resort destinations including the Bellagio Resort in Las Vegas and The Grove in Los Angeles, will be creating the landscaping for the perimeter of the man-made lagoon that will be filled with clear, turquoise water and the 300-foot long fountain that will have laser-projected video mist screens along with water features.

The firm is also tasked with landscaping the peninsula, which includes 25 acres of parks, and a variety of retail rooftop gardens and beach zones. The lagoon will take up eight acres including two acres of beachfront on Lake Ray Hubbard. It will be built by Crystal Lagoons, an international company based in Miami that created and patented a technology to create crystal clear lagoons and artificial beaches around the world. Steve Wynn, chairman & CEO of Wynn Resorts, is installing a 38-acre lagoon and beach from Crystal Lagoons at his Wynn Paradise Park, a $1.6 billion mixed-use project planned for Las Vegas.

At Bayside, Lifescapes is planning numerous amenities around the lagoon including private beach clubs, cabanas, poolside areas and terraced gardens. Some of the beach zones will include swim-up bars and floating fire pits.

Bayside Site Plan Lagoon

“The development team of Kent Donahue and Wilks Development are bringing beachfront property to a Dallas submarket, and do so in a way that is very iconic,” Julie Brinkerhoff-Jacobs, president of Lifescapes International, said in a prepared statement. “Guests and residents will enjoy the eight-acre crystal lagoon and fountain, as well as over four miles of lakefront trails, an open-air trolley and a Town Center Park, all surrounded by the most high-quality office, retail, residential and hospitality product in the market.”

Lifescapes will also be the landscape designer for the Town Center Park, a gathering area for concerts and family events with retail and residential on either side.

Brinkerhoff-Jacobs said Bayside is being designed to offer residents and visitors an “immersive experience.” In addition to the lagoon and beach areas, plans call for a waterfront zip-line, electric boats and small cruisers for sailing on the lagoon, a FlowRider® surf machine and day beds in the water to create resort-style experiences.