A groundbreaking ceremony was held Wednesday for the newest Huffines Signature Community™, Solterra, in Mesquite. Developer Huffines Communities commemorated the project milestone with Mesquite Mayor Bruce Archer, members of the Mesquite City Council and many others from the real estate and builder community, celebrating the largest development in the city’s history, with 3,900 new homes and 300 townhomes on 1,530 acres upon project completion. Solterra is expected to have a tax value of more than $1.6 billion with the first phase of development delivering 787 lots in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Located just 11 miles from the Dallas central business district, new homes in this community will start from $280,000 and range up to the high $500,000s, averaging 1,200 – 6,000-square-feet. Huffines Communities has taken care to protect the property’s legacy with 560 acres of open space, preserving pecan groves, orchards and pastures that were a part of the original Lucas Farms. The farm famously provided fresh meats and produce for Lucas B&B Café, the Fathion P. Lucas family restaurant which opened in downtown Dallas in 1911. The family purchased the property to supply the restaurant with farm fresh food, thus being one of the first farm-to-market restaurants.
“We are celebrating the building of homes and the building of relationships with Huffines Communities and others,” said Mayor Archer. “These houses will be a place for families to live and create relationships in the Mesquite community with new neighbors and new friends for generations.”
“We’re thrilled to celebrate this groundbreaking in a market still seeing massive growth,” said Phillip Huffines, co-owner at Huffines Communities. “We have worked with the City of Mesquite and other leaders on public/private partnership efforts for several years to bring this dream to fruition, marking one of our largest projects to date. Everyone involved has worked hard to develop a sustainable, one-of-kind community experience and lifestyle complete with over-the-top outdoor amenities and economic benefits for the city.”
Like other Huffines’ Signature Communities, Solterra features an abundance of first-class amenities with a grand entryway greeting visitors entering the community. In fact, the team from HGTV’s popular Treehouse Masters show will design and construct a special treehouse park just for the community from Nelson Treehouse.
Huffines Communities took care to protect and restore the site’s pecan groves, orchards and pasture areas and features a promenade park located in the median. Fun amenities were added for the children and families, including a fishing hut called “The Catfish Hole,” where kids and adults can feed fish in a covered enclosed space, rain or shine, and fish from the wraparound deck directly over the community’s new 30-acre lake. Residents can also enjoy swimming, kayaking and paddle boarding in the community lake. Countless other amenities abound such as community playgrounds, a large dog park, beer garden, food truck park, event lawn and space for a craft fair/farmer market esplanade.
The community’s resort-style pool complex will include an adult pool, an Olympic-sized lap pool, a pool with slides, a kid’s pool with splash pads and a large sand beach with direct access to the lake complete with 14 miles of bike and hiking trails that connect to the regional trail system. A grand amenity center includes a coffee shop, communal gathering rooms with lounge seating and TVs and offices with covered balconies and direct access to the pools and fitness center. The world-class fitness facility spans more than 4,000 square feet and will have state-of-the-art equipment, including cardio machines, weight training, aerobics rooms, bathrooms and locker space. Solterra also has plans for a restaurant within the amenity complex where families inside and outside the community can gather.
Thirteen prominent home builders are under contract and will start building their first homes during spring 2023. Builders in the first phase are: Cadence, CastleRock, Chesmar, David Weekley, FirstTexas, Gehan, Highland, HistoryMaker, Impression, MHI, Lennar, Shaddock and TriPointe Homes.
Solterra is located on Cartwright Road, just 2 miles east of Interstate 635. The development is within immediate proximity to three elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools either on-site or on Solterra’s borders. Vanguard High School, Mesquite’s first “choice” high school, has opened for the 2021-2022 school year.
Huffines Communities has engaged LJA Engineers to design and plan the new community.
Huffines Communities has nine active communities under development in the North Texas region and most of the homes in these communities start in the $300,000s-$800,000s. Each community is thoughtfully designed to facilitate interaction amongst neighbors and connect people within the neighborhood.