ROWLETT -- Its still years away from completion, but neighbors in Rowlett are already noticing the changes that will become "Bayside."
It’s the beginning of an ambitious, $1-billion mixed-use project on the edge of Lake Ray Hubbard that will include a marina, hotels, shops, and restaurants.
The signature element is an eight-acre blue lagoon -- the equivalent of 10 football fields worth of water.
"It's absolutely fantastic,” said Rowlett City Manager Brian Funderburk.
Funderburk says it’s a project three years in the making, and once complete, it will increase the tax base by one-third.
"We're going to have an entertainment venue that Rowlett has never had," Funderburk said.
Heavy machinery was already in motion on the former Elgin B. Robertson Park on Thursday, preparing a part of the 257-acre property for the project.
The park used to be owned by the City of Dallas, but was transferred to Rowlett in an arrangement that included a $32-million purchase of the land by developer Kent Donahue.
The project will be called Bayside, and will include over 1 million square feet of office, retail, restaurant, and entertainment space.