Grand Prairie city officials and Provident Realty representatives told the Johnson County Commissioners Court on April 28 that they plan a mixed-use project called Goodland that would cover roughly 5,000 acres across Ellis and Johnson counties and create a town center entirely inside Johnson County.

The presenters said the project—previously called Prairie Ridge—would include up to several thousand homes, commercial corners, a walkable town center, schools and a network of trails and parks. Megan Mahan, deputy city manager for Grand Prairie, said the city will extend police, fire, water and wastewater services into the area and is negotiating phased annexation so development happens under city controls.

The developers and city officials told the court they are seeking a county decision about whether to join a tax-increment reinvestment structure (TIR) and related municipal management district (MMD) tools that Grand Prairie and Provident propose to use to finance regional roads, parks and public facilities. Steve Robinson, the developers’ public-finance attorney, said the scale of infrastructure—estimated in the hundreds of millions for regional boulevards and drainage—would be difficult to deliver without the proposed financing structure. "This is building a city of 50,000," Robinson said, describing the scope of infrastructure being planned.

Why it matters: Commissioners framed Goodland as an unusually large, multi-jurisdictional project with potentially large tax-base gains and service impacts. The town center and much of the tax base would lie inside Johnson County, while city services would be provided by Grand Prairie. Commissioners raised questions about annexation timing, school sites, water sources and long-term service implications. The court did not vote on participation but agreed to pursue further confidential negotiations.

What the presenters said: Provident representatives said Goodland Parkway—the arterial that will serve as the development spine—is under construction and should be drivable by early 2026. They described phased annexation already completed on the Ellis County side and planned July–August annexation of roughly 700 acres in Johnson County for the future town center. The developers said utilities will be surface-water supplied (Midlothian), that schools are anticipated (Midlothian ISD on the Ellis side; Venus ISD planning sites on the Johnson side), and that a system of linear parks and more than 30 miles of trails are planned.

Commissioners’ concerns and next steps: Commissioners asked for more detail on public-safety impacts, courthouse/subcourthouse needs, and county costs that could accompany a large new population. Judge Baedeker said he will place a follow-up executive-session item on a future agenda to discuss potential county participation and negotiation strategy, so the court can evaluate tax-increment terms and the county’s role before any formal commitment.

The court did not approve any finance package or make a formal commitment to join any TIR, MMD or other financing tool at the April 28 meeting; the presenters requested that the court consider joining the proposed TIR program and to authorize county representatives to negotiate terms in executive session.