The project is being proposed by BlackStone Communities, led by developer Jeffory Blackard, who is also behind Adriatica Village in McKinney.
PROSPER, Texas — An Italian-themed village could be one step closer to calling a North Texas city home.
On Tuesday, Prosper Town Council is set to consider a zoning request Tuesday night for The Marco, a proposed 143-acre mixed-use development at the northeast corner of the Dallas North Tollway and U.S. 380.
The project is being proposed by BlackStone Communities, led by developer Jeffory Blackard, who is also behind Adriatica Village in McKinney.
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The Marco is designed around an Italian-inspired village concept, with a large lagoon and canals at its center.
The proposal includes up to 4,400 residential units, more than 1 million square feet of office space, retail and restaurants, up to two hotels, and a performing arts venue.
The lagoon would cover more than 15 acres, and the proposed canal system would be designed to accommodate boats and water taxis. A pedestrian promenade would circle the lagoon.
The project would sit on one of the largest remaining undeveloped tracts at the busy Dallas North Tollway and U.S. 380 intersection.
Not too far away from the proposed site sits Mangiamo Italian Market & Deli in downtown Celina.
Owner Jason Algiere wants you to feel like you’ve left North Texas. “It doesn’t feel like Texas when you walk in,” Algiere said.
For Algiere, Italian food is more than a business. It is a connection to his family and the traditions he grew up with.
“To me, Italian food is … home. It’s home,” he said.
He remembers growing up in the kitchen, making food with his family before everyone eventually sat down together to eat.
That connection to Italy is one reason Algiere is paying close attention to a proposed development about 20 minutes down the road in Prosper.
For Algiere, the concept is familiar. He has visited Adriatica Village in McKinney, another European-inspired development created by Blackard. “They really kind of killed it with Adriatica in a good way,” Algiere said.
Blackard’s vision for The Marco takes that concept to a much larger scale.
Adriatica covers roughly 45 acres in McKinney. The Marco would span about 143 acres.
The proposed Prosper development would include a mix of apartments, condominiums, age-restricted housing, villas, townhomes and other residential options.
The proposal currently caps the total number of residential units at 4,400.
The Marco is not yet approved. The Prosper Planning & Zoning Commission voted 4-2 in August to advance the project to Town Council. The council is scheduled to consider the zoning request Sept. 22.
If approved, the development could eventually transform the area around the Tollway and U.S. 380, bringing thousands of residents along with restaurants, retail, offices, hotels and entertainment.
Prosper officials have described the project as potentially having a long-term impact on the community.
David Hoover with the town said the proposal has the makings of something that could “last a long time.”
Prosper Mayor David Bristol has also said the project could become a generational development if the zoning is approved.
Back at Mangiamo, Algiere sees another potential benefit. More people coming to the area could mean more people looking for restaurants and experiences — including Italian food.
“Anything that brings more attention to good Italian food … I’m all in,” he said. For Algiere, The Marco isn’t just another development.
It’s an opportunity to bring a little more of the culture he grew up with to North Texas. A slice of home — potentially just down the road.
