Texas Community Goes Underground For Doomsday Prep
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — Some upper-income Texans are headed down below, not Australia, but below the surface.
An investor group is planning for a doomsday scenario by building a $300 million luxury community replete with underground homes. There will also be air-lock blast doors designed for people worried about a dirty bomb or other disaster and off-grid energy and water production.
The development, called Trident Lakes, is northeast of Dallas.
Residents will enjoy an equestrian center, 18-hole golf course, polo fields, zip lines and gun ranges. Retail shops, restaurants and a row of helipads are also in the works. For those looking to "get away," they'll also be able to enjoy three white sand beaches and a neighborhood spa.
"We've evolved it into long-term sustainability instead of a survival community," Trident Lakes CEO Jim O'Connor told the Houston Chronicle, adding that the 400 planned condos will house about 1,600 people. "The concept is to build a community that will last two centuries or longer. That means we're looking at designs that include earth structures that won't be exposed to the elements."
Residents will first be able to move-in possibly as soon as 2018, O'Connor said, with construction slated to potentially begin next year.
"It's not just a hole in the ground to hide in — it's going to be one of the most plush resorts in all of Texas, if not America," Trident Lakes spokesperson Richie Whitt told the Sherman Herald Democrat.
"People are getting fearful of this world — there's ISIS, there are things like Zika virus to race relation and the police brutality they see on TV — people are nervous. People want a place they can have safety for themselves and for the future of their families," Whitt added. "If need be, it's going to be one of the safest places on Earth."
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