KINGSTON, Okla. — This article was originally published by our content partners at the Dallas Business Journal. You can read the original article here.
A massive $2 billion master-planned community is making headway along the Texas-Oklahoma border with the start of construction on a hotel resort.
Spanning 2,700 acres and featuring 19 miles of Lake Texoma shoreline, Pointe Vista is expected to eventually feature 2,100 homes, multiple hotels, an 11-acre bay, a casino, a golf course, an enclosed waterpark, a family entertainment center, an amphitheater and a mix of shops and restaurants. It's being constructed on the north side of the lake in Oklahoma, west of Durant.
Infrastructure construction began Nov. 21 on Hard Rock Hotel Lake Texoma, which was announced last month as the first of three resorts planned for the property. The hotel is slated to have 189 rooms, an 18,000-square-foot conference center and event lawn.
The development will also feature the Hard Rock Residences, which an Oct. 17 announcement framed as the first hospitality-branded real estate offering in Oklahoma. The community will consist of rental homes ranging in size from 667 to 3,000 square feet. Rent prices are still being finalized.
Both projects are expected to open in the Summer of 2027.
The project was founded by Mark Fisher, who more than a decade ago bought land that used to be a state park. That park had fallen into disrepair, and Fisher "saw an area that he could help make better and develop," said Grant Speaks, president of Pointe Vista. Fisher continued to buy land around the former park and, as "Dallas continues to stretch north," the community's backers see boundless potential, according to Speaks.
The development of Pointe Vista exemplifies the change sweeping over the Texoma border region north of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Huge neighborhoods are rising, including the $6B Preston Harbor community on the south side of the lake that will include a Margaritaville resort, and a nascent semiconductor production industry is taking shape in Sherman.
Pointe Vista will feature two unique lakefront neighborhoods: Reflection Pointe and Bridge Pointe, both of which are under construction.
Reflection Pointe will feature 84 single-family lakeside homes ranging from 2,800 to 4,600 square feet, with seven homes set to be completed by early 2025. Bridge Pointe includes 32 lakeside villas and 26 hilltop townhomes with lake views, with construction already underway on four homes. Homes at both communities are currently available for sale and range in price from $225,000 to $1.3 million. Infrastructure construction was completed in early November.
Future developments will include a lakeside hotel with 350-plus rooms, a convention center and a 72-room boutique hotel near the Chickasaw Pointe Golf Club. Hotel flags for those projects have not yet been determined.
Overall, Pointe Vista is anticipated to finish within 10 to 15 years. The project has been in the works since 2008 but faced delays because of the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic.
A market study by the developer estimates Pointe Vista could create more than 7,000 jobs during construction and at least 200 permanent positions once completed. In the end, the project could generate more than $241 million in direct spending, Speaks said.
"Fourth of July 2027, I'd love to have between 5,000 to 10,000 people at our development," he said.
The development will be easily accessible thanks to planned infrastructure improvements, including the Roosevelt Bridge expansion and the extension of the Dallas North Tollway. It's located about two hours from Dallas and Oklahoma City.
Lake Texoma is already home to the Chickasaw Nation West Bay Casino & Resort, Chickasaw Pointe Golf Club and the Catfish Bay Marina. There are also efforts to bring a professional soccer team to Texoma.
"We think that Lake Texoma is the best-kept secret out there," Speaks said. "We want to be good neighbors to other developments that are out there and wish everybody the best. We met the football club folks a few years ago at a hunting event, thought they were tremendous [and are] excited to have them nearby."