Pioneer Grove at Eden's Garden

03/27/2026

This is beautiful. OurCalling, if you need another spot nearer by, with a farm already producing food.... reach out. I might even have a farmer for ya. ;)

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Zz6PJGZqv/

25 miles south of Dallas, formerly homeless individuals with high-risk conditions have found their forever homes thanks to a new planned community. MORE BELOW ⬇️

11/09/2025

PREMIUM COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY — 13.18 ACRES | HIGH-VISIBILITY | STRATEGIC FREEWAY ACCESS

The owner is actively seeking a buyer.

The Council didn't like the agri-village option, but but this land is perfect for dozens of other high-value commercial uses. Rare commercial acreage like this — so close to Dallas — is a great find.

LOCATION • ACCESS • SCALE
Prime 13.18-acre commercial tract in a high-growth corridor less than 1 mile from I-20 and the I-635/175 interchange. Outstanding regional connectivity:
• 15 minutes to Downtown Dallas
• Direct routes to I-20, I-635, US-175, I-30, I-45, Hwy 80
• Near Mesquite Metro Airport & Union Pacific’s 360-acre intermodal facility
• Trade-area workforce exceeding 200,000+

IDEAL FOR LOGISTICS, FLEX COMMERCIAL, OR SPECIAL-USE DEVELOPMENT
Wide, 4-lane principal arterial frontage with heavy daily traffic. City’s transportation plan includes a future frontage/feeder road at the southeast corner, creating two potential access points and premium circulation for commercial users.

SITE ADVANTAGES
• Zoned Commercial (rare acreage of this size inside city limits)
• Long, linear configuration ideal for logistics, storage, manufacturing, contractor yard, flex space, or destination commercial concepts
• Existing utilities on site
• Natural pond, mature trees, and scenic views offering potential for hybrid commercial-ag or recreational business models
• Current improvements include a turn-of-the-century farmhouse — suitable for interim income or transitional use

ENDLESS DEVELOPMENT POSSIBILITIES
Exceptional visibility, freeway proximity, strong labor pool, and flexible commercial zoning make this property a standout opportunity for investors, 1031 buyers, and developers seeking scalable, strategically located land.
Call Lee Dirickson, RE/MAX DFW Associates

Location! Property is strategically located for business....

09/24/2025

Sadly, it does not appear that Pioneer Grove will be brought to Balch Springs. Our founder has decided not to continue the legal fight against city hall. Please refer to her own words in her blog post.
We hope other cities who are presented with such innovation are more welcoming than this City Council has been. Sustainable, walking communities should be a positive way forward. City council's have to start thinking outside of the old boxes that have brought gridlock and food deserts to their citizens. But until progressive leaders are brought in, change is hard see as a positive step. Thank you for following this project.

Dear Friends of Eden's, I sent out the following email to supporters on my Pioneer Grove mailing list, and to my CSA members last night. ...

07/01/2025

Another take on community living. It is a thing, really.

Eleven families joined together to create a new development filled with shared space.

06/20/2025

We found this an interesting concept. Instead of SFH, a communal apartment bldg.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16VMby1d9u/?mibextid=wwXIfr

06/19/2025

Our inspiration for pocket neighborhoods. Thanks, Ross, for blazing the trail!

I'm excited to share my article in the CNU Public Square Journal: "The Human Side of Housing." After years of working on community-oriented housing projects, I've observed how the industry often reduces housing to spreadsheet exercises while overlooking the actual lives of residents.
This piece explores how understanding human nature—our neurological need for safety, the importance of refuge and prospect spaces, our connection to nature, and our hardwired need for community—can inform housing design that supports true human flourishing across all price points.
When we design not just for shelter but for safety, agency, and belonging, we create environments where people and communities thrive. The resulting improvements in resident stability often offset initial investments through operational savings.
See link in comments
hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag

06/03/2025

Pioneer Grove at Eden's checks off all 6 of these boxes. All. Six.

If developers can see this - cities like Balch Springs should embrace projects like PG. Not come up with unrelated reasons to say no to rezoning for it.

We really hope the council will re-consider their decision. The property owner is seeking legal counsel and we support her efforts. You can chip in here to help her secure an attorney. https://gofund.me/a60210be

Top 6 new market trends.
The Texas land market is
undergoing a seismic shift.
And a majority of investors
are still using yesterday's playbook
while the rules of the game
have completely changed:

1️⃣ The Rise of Agrihood Communities.
* Developments centered around working farms and food production.
* 47% premium on homes in these communities vs. traditional neighborhoods.
* Faster absorption rates in DFW and ATX markets.
* These communities use 30-40% less water and create built-in amenities.
2️⃣ Missing Middle Housing Explosion.
* Townhomes, duplexes, and small multifamily are outperforming single-family.
* These projects require 40% less land per unit and 27% lower development costs.
* One of our clients pivoted from 42 single-family lots to 97 townhomes on the same parcel.
3️⃣ Flex Space Integration.
* Home designs with dedicated work-from-home spaces now command 12-18% premiums.
* 73% of new buyers rank home office space as "essential" vs. 31% pre-pandemic.
* Smart developers are reducing bedroom counts to create dedicated office spaces.
4️⃣ Micro Retail Integration.
* Small retail pods (3-5 shops) integrated into residential communities.
* These increase adjacent lot values by 22-31%.
* New masterplans now include walkable micro retail.
5️⃣ Water-Conscious Development.
* Projects with water recycling and conservation features sell faster.
* Drought-resistant landscaping and rainwater capture now standard.
6️⃣ Multigenerational Living Solutions.
* Homes with separate entrances and accessory dwelling units.
* 63% of buyers under 40 want the option to house aging parents.

05/28/2025

We were hoping to help create some of this. Not so much a co-housing as much as a small, community oriented, walkable safe from vehicles neighbourhood.
“”Missing middle housing” is a term coined by architect Daniel Parolek to refer to duplexes, fourplexes, and bungalow courts, all of which increase affordability in walkable, desirable neighborhoods but also allow people to live among chosen families.”

Nuclear families are no longer the norm in the United States. Could community living arrangements help us find the connection and support we crave?

05/12/2025

Dear CM Fenner, Mayor Gordon, and Members of Council,

On behalf of the Pioneer Grove development team, we respectfully request that Agenda Item #4 on the May 12 Council agenda — concerning the proposed rezoning at 4708 Pioneer Road — be removed and postponed to a later date.

The applicant is still not in a position to proceed with discussion or action at this time. Members of the development team remain unavailable and out of state, and the project is currently on pause as the team reevaluates economic conditions — including labor shortages, evolving tariffs, and market volatility — which directly impact the project’s feasibility and timeline.

As stated in our last written correspondence to the City, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐛𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐧𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧.

𝑇𝑜 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑓𝑦: 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑧𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚 𝐶𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑓𝑓 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑙 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒-𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑔𝑒, 𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑛 𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑐 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠.

It should also be noted that the language of Agenda Item #4 continues to misrepresent the applicant’s role and position. Specifically, the reference to “Place Strategies” is incorrect; the property owner is not affiliated with or operating under that entity. Furthermore, the wording implies that the applicant is seeking reconsideration of Ordinance 002-2024, which is not the case. The inclusion of this item without request or consent is misleading and risks confusing the public and council regarding the actual status of the application.

We appreciate your attention to this matter and respectfully request that no action be taken at this time.


Sincerely,

Iván G. Gonzalez, AICP
Place Strategies, Inc.

Send a message to learn more

05/04/2025

While we currently grapple with the new economic challenges posed by the federal administration’s ever-changing tariffs and trade policies, the pullbacks on green initiatives, and labor shortages that threaten our project and the housing sector nationwide, if we can move forward, we share Farmer Marie’s hope that under new local leadership, the council will recognize the positive impact this proposed project would bring to the community. Thank you Marie for your continued commitment to your community and your land.

04/12/2025

Wonderful!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BdqB9HCoz/?mibextid=wwXIfr