Grand Prairie plans for urban development at its Gateway district on I-30

Grand Prairie is hoping two new projects will give traction to its plans for a high-density development district on Interstate 30.

Called the Gateway at Grand Prairie, the almost 160-acre area is at the four corners of I-30 and South Belt Line Road.

With improvements to the highway intersection, the city has been studying concepts for future development around the high-traffic crossroads south of Lone Star Park and the Texas Trust CU Theater.

Key properties around the intersection are vacant and prime for development.

“It’s really the last opportunity for a major urban type project between downtown Dallas and downtown Fort Worth,” said Marty Wieder, Grand Prairie’s director of economic development. “The City Council has been patient to make sure it has been done right.”

Construction of new highway frontage roads and reworking of the interchange at Belt Line Road have been completed, opening up new development potential.

“We didn’t have frontage roads until recently – we were just passed through,” Wieder said. “Now that TxDOT has put in the service roads it has opened up that land.”

Grand Prairie several years ago hired Dallas architect Omniplan to master plan the Gateway district properties for potential construction.

“We did it to have an idea how this might look,” Wieder said. “We specifically sought Omniplan out to help do this because we had seen what they had done with CityLine in Richardson and Legacy West in Plano.”

Grand Prairie has masterplanned almost 160 acres at Interstate-30 and South Belt Line Road... — Grand Prairie has masterplanned almost 160 acres at Interstate-30 and South Belt Line Road for future urban development.(Contributed / Omniplan)

Concept renderings for the Gateway district show an urban-style area of high-rise and mid-rise mixed-use buildings.

Wieder said the first two developments in the area will bring more attention to Gateway.

In July, construction will be completed on a Major League Cricket stadium on the north side of I-30 and will bring thousands of visitors to the district. The 7,500-seat sports venue attracted backing from Dallas-based developer Hillwood.

“They’ve been hustling to get it ready” in time to host summer games, Wieder said.

And near the southwest corner of I-30 and Belt Line, Austin-based apartment builder OHT Partners has gotten zoning to build a 310-unit rental community on almost six acres. “They got approved for a six- and seven-story multifamily project where Stadium Drive is nearing completion,” Wieder said.

OHT is already working on multiple North Texas rental communities, with new projects in Oak Lawn, in the Cedars neighborhood south of downtown Dallas and near the Southwestern Medical District and Love Field.

With the proximity to the new cricket stadium, Lone Star Park and Grand Prairie’s other entertainment draws, the city is also looking at potential hotel projects.

“If the opportunity presents itself, we want to be able to illustrate the demand for a quality hotel up there,” he said.