A new luxury development in Texas is courting the disaster-preparing ultra-rich, with five-star amenities paired with underground bunkers designed to “increase the odds of survival if threatened by a catastrophic event.”
Trident Lakes has broken ground in Fannin County, described as “far North Texas,” and bills itself as “one of the safest, most unique neighborhoods in America” with a three-pronged philosophy of “Plan, Protect, Play.”
The private community – developed by Dallas-based Vintuary Holdings Corp. – will offer upscale amenities, including a five-star spa, as well as “unprecedented civilian security” on 700 acres.
“It’s a five-star playground with DEFCON 1 preparedness,” said Trident Lakes spokesperson and director of celebrity relations Paul Salfen. “Our residents will enjoy a piece of paradise and peace of mind.”
The heart of the five-year, US$300m (€282m, £238m) project will be safety and sustainability, with a security wall enclosing 400 reinforced, subterranean luxury condominiums, ranging from 900 to 3,600sq ft (84 to 334sq m), as well as communal greenhouses, a navigable tunnel system, DNA vault and helipads. It will also feature off-the-grid supplies of food, water and electricity.
The prepper movement appears to be growing, though most survivalists tend to stay quiet about what they’re up to, so it’s difficult to get a real sense of numbers.
Arthur Markman, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Texas at Austin,
told the Chicago Tribune that preppers are becoming “less out of the ordinary, less extreme.”
“During our research, several things became very clear,” said Vintuary Holdings CEO James O’Connor. “People of all responsible social backgrounds instinctually think about long-term survival, but simply are too busy or do not have the skill sets to assemble all the ingredients necessary to increase the odds of survival if threatened by a catastrophic event.”
Above-ground amenities at Trident Lakes will include a championship golf course, 15-acre lagoons for watersports, jogging trails, gun ranges, equestrian centre, restaurants and retail shops, as well as a polo and archery field, chapel and hotel. Details of the spa, other than the fact that “it will come with all the bells and whistles,” are not yet available.
The development has two phases; Phase I is by invitation-only, and will include national celebrities, the company said, while the Phase II waiting list is open. Costs are said to be in line with the cost of an affluent second or vacation home.
Trident Lakes is offering special financing to law enforcement, teachers and other civil servants “in an effort to build a safe, sustainable neighborhood.”
“A lot of like-minded people who would be critical assets in adverse situations may not be able to afford the costs,” said O’Connor. “We’ve built in a program to ensure the inclusion of those that could contribute to the structure of the community in a time of need.”
After breaking ground on the development this month, one of the first things to be constructed is a marble, ornate Poseidon statue and a 55,000sq ft (5,110sq m) fountain.
