Megatel’s West Dallas $1B Development Brings Lagoons Back Into Discussion

What’s the deal with a lagoon in Texas? Ears perk up when a lagoon is mentioned in a Texas development.

Do people envision one of those enclosed salt-water waterways near the Italian city of Venice? Or the 1980 film The Blue Lagoon starring Brooke Shields?

Likely, Texans are thinking of a place to cool off during our oppressive summers — you know, do a little wading or kayaking, or hang out on the poolside furniture while the kids splash around.

(1) “Artificial swimming lagoon” means an artificial body of water used for recreational purposes with more than 20,000 square feet of surface area, an artificial liner, and a method of disinfectant. The term does not include a body of water open to the public that continuously recirculates water from a spring or a pool.

Texas HB1468

A few weeks ago, Dallas-based Megatel Homes got the thumbs up from Dallas City Council to start development of The Villages at SoHo Square, a $1 billion mixed-use project that includes a lagoon, thousands of residents, and retail and entertainment space near Singleton Boulevard and Borger Street in West Dallas.

The 50-acre development will be built next door to Megatel’s SoHo Square townhouse community, which has more than 200 urban-style homes. The new phase of SoHo Square will have more than 2,000 apartments in five five-story complexes surrounding the lagoon.

Quite The Transformation

The lagoon will be the first-ever lagoon in Dallas, said Megatel CEO Zack Ipour. The lagoon will feature five acres of blue water and white sand beaches, according to Megatel.

This is a big change in aesthetics from an area that once an industrial site. At one time, the property was used for a waste-disposal operation.

Megatel Homes knows a little something about lagoons. In December, Megatel announced that it was showcasing a manmade lagoon as part of its $450 million-plus Venetian Lagoon development in Weston, Collin County’s oldest city. Of 100-plus developments in Megatel’s portfolio since 2006, Weston’s Venetian Lagoon is its first lagoon community.

Developers building large beach-like structures as a key attraction for new residential communities. Dallas-Fort Worth’s first Crystal Lagoon, the brand name, and originator of this manmade structure went up in Prosper’s Windsong Ranch. A Crystal Lagoon water feature is under construction in the Sapphire Bay development on Lake Ray Hubbard in Rowlett.

Miami-based Crystal Lagoons, which creates the technology for manmade lagoons, has recognized Texas as prime lagoon material. In late March, Crystal Lagoons said Texas has 70 lagoon projects in the works.

Back in West Dallas, about 15 percent of the development’s 2,100 apartment units will go to residents making less than the area median income.

“This zoning case was a victory for affordable workforce housing, job creation, environmental justice, and an example of how a developer should and can work with the community to create a smart neighborhood included development,” Narvaez wrote in a post on Facebook.