The prophecies and conspiracy theories for the 2012 apocalypse may have fallen flat, but it seems like a group of wealthy investors in Texas aren’t taking any chances. Rumor has it the state will soon get a luxury community featuring underground homes for residents afraid of disasters. The costly community is supposedly worth $300 million and is already taking shape northeast of Dallas near the Oklahoma border. The community has been christened Trident Lakes.
“The initial perception is that it’s defined as a doomsday scenario,” said James O’Connor, CEO of Dallas-based Vintuary Holdings, the firm that represents the investors backing the project. “I’m trying to change the perception to a long-term sustainable community, with the concept of a 200-year community. We’re not looking at just putting all our residents underground; we’re looking to put together a beautiful place to live that’s also secure.”
The community will house an 18-hole golf course, a high-end spa, gun ranges, zip lines, shops and restaurants, and even a row of helipads. Other high-end features on the 700-acre set up will include an equestrian center, polo fields, and 20-acre lakes with white-sand beaches. A 12-foot wall with private security manning watchtowers will surround the compound. A notable feature will be the statue of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea, holding a golden trident that will stand 50 feet above a fountain which is already being touted as one of the largest fountains in the world. The project has received approvals and plans are for residents to move in by 2018.
The compound will also house 400 condos which are special thanks to having 90% of their living space underground. They will be topped off with terraces boasting lake views and most of them will feature a price tag that’s in the mid-six figures. Residents will be able to rely on off-the-grid energy and water solutions; a navigable tunnel network and an air-purification system are also in the works.
Perhaps the most ambitious aspect though is the DNA Vault. That’s right, a vault where you can store your DNA and in some distant future have yourself be replicated using technology. Richie Whitt, spokesman for Trident Lakes called it an opportunity for “family sustainability” and went on to say, “It’s kind of science-fictiony but it’s also not that far in the future.”
[Via:Popularmechanics]