Selling extreme security features is becoming a common high-end amenity among luxury developments. But a new development popping up an hour outside of north Dallas is taking that to new levels.
Trident Lakes is a 700-acre planned community that is being touted as unlike any other high-end suburban development. The subdivision is being promoted as an “ultimate safe haven” that provides “luxury life assistance.” Plus, the neighborhood is being built to protect its residents from a nuclear attack.
The development is surrounded by 12-foot walls and watchtowers. It will be guarded by a private security force. The more than 1,000 residents also will have access to emergency underground bunkers in case of a national emergency or nuclear attack. Developers also plan to eventually add a private airstrip.
“The unique thing about Trident Lakes is that unlike other prepper-type properties, this is going to be a sustainable community that for all appearances, looks like a 5-star resort,” says communications director Richie Whitt. “This is not first-come, first-served. People will be turned away from Trident Lakes. We’ll hand-pick a community best-equipped to survive.”
The development is estimated to cost $320 million to build.
Chief Security Officer Robert I. Kaneiss, and a former U.S. Navy SEAL, says Trident Lakes allows homeowners to invest in their protection for greater peace of mind.
“Look at what we’ve seen in the past 2-5 years in the U.S.,” he says. “All the shootings, the anti-political movements that can turn violent. There are a lot of folks in the United States who are taking a step back and saying, ‘what is happening?’”
Trident Lakes is to have its grand opening later this spring. Buyers will be able to apply for information on the development’s website, but they aren’t guaranteed to be accepted in, Kaneiss says. Trident Lakes residents will need to be approved -- it is like “being able to reverse-engineer your client base,” he says.
Developers say the response has been huge so far and they are already scouting out other locales to take the high-security development elsewhere, such as Southern Ohio or other areas of the country.
Source: “In Texas, a High-End Housing Community Designed for Doomsday,” Curbed.com (Jan. 4, 2017)
