From the corner of Colony Park Boulevard and Sunnybrook Road, Prado Vista still looks a lot like it did when Topgolf opened. The development covers 77 acres just east of I-55, across the street from Ridgeland High School, and Topgolf has been the only building on it since December 2024, according to the Madison County Journal. For anyone on Chestnut Hill in the Cottonwood section of Ridgeland, the site is close. Based on OpenStreetMap coordinates, Topgolf at 102 Topgolf Way is about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.
That empty acreage is about to change, and the order matters. The project with the firmest schedule is a 250-room hotel and a county conference center, and the dirt work for the hotel has already started. The grocery store and the four local restaurants announced for the same site still have no names. The first big building rising up the road from Chestnut Hill is meant for out-of-town guests. The places neighbors might use every week are further out.
Nearly Two Years With One Building
The pace so far helps put the new schedule in perspective. When Ridgeland aldermen approved plans for a Dave & Buster's in July 2026, Topgolf was still the first and only building on the property, about 19 months after it opened. By the time this post publishes, that gap is close to two years.
A long stretch with one tenant means any building that actually breaks ground stands out. One project has now done that, and it isn't a restaurant.
The Hotel Has the Only Clock
On Sept. 8, 2026, the Madison County Board of Supervisors gave final approval to the Madison County Conference Center. The building will cover 50,000 square feet, hold up to 1,800 attendees, and connect to a privately financed Dolce by Wyndham hotel. The City of Ridgeland's announcement calls it a milestone "more than two decades in the making." It also says the Ridgeland hotel will be the first Dolce in Mississippi, with multiple dining venues serving the conference center and the rest of Prado Vista.
The Madison County Journal reported that supervisors voted 3-2 to approve a master development agreement and issue $48 million in urban renewal bonds to buy the land and build the conference center. With the hotel, total investment is around $120 million. The same report said dirt work had already started on the hotel. Developer Gabriel Prado, CEO of PraCon Global Investment Group, estimated the project would be finished within 13 months and would bring 200 full- and part-time jobs once both buildings open.
The estimate has moved. In February, WAPT reported that the project could be finished by summer 2027 once approvals were in place. Final approval came in September, and 13 months from then puts completion around fall 2027. That date is an estimate from the developer, not a firm opening date.
The financing explains why county leaders were willing to commit. According to the city, about $18.9 million in state tourism rebates, essentially all of the project's rebate proceeds, will go back to Madison County to pay down the conference center's construction debt instead of going to the developer. The Journal reported that Prado also gave up a developer fee of about $5 million. Once the debt is paid off, the building must stay a conference center for 20 years. Two supervisors asked questions about the agreement before the vote, and the board approved it 3-2.
In the City of Ridgeland's announcement, Sam Kelly, chairman of the Madison County Business League & Foundation, described the expected effect on nearby businesses:
"Local restaurants, school districts, retailers, service providers, and more are going to feel the benefit of this project for decades to come."
What Else Has a Vote Behind It
The hotel is the only project with a stated completion window. Dave & Buster's is the next most definite. Aldermen approved its site plan, architectural review, and sign variance unanimously on the consent agenda at their July 7 meeting. The building will be about 25,000 square feet, with more than 9,500 square feet for the arcade. The approved sign is 165 square feet, a little over the city's 150-square-foot limit, which City Planner Jordan Lohman called "a minor overage." Lohman said he did not know when PraCon planned to start construction. WJTV reported that the mayor said construction could begin before the end of 2026, but no opening date was given.
Here is where each piece stood as of the September approvals.
| Project | Size | Latest approval | Construction | Opening |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Topgolf | Anchor venue | Opened December 2024 | Complete | Open |
| Dolce by Wyndham hotel | 250 rooms | County final approval, Sept. 8, 2026 | Dirt work underway | Developer estimate of 13 months from September |
| Madison County Conference Center | 50,000 sq ft, up to 1,800 attendees | County final approval, Sept. 8, 2026 | Paired with the hotel | Same estimate as the hotel |
| Dave & Buster's | About 25,000 sq ft | Ridgeland aldermen, July 7, 2026 | Mayor said it could start before the end of 2026 | No timeline given |
| Grocery store | Not stated | Announced | Not stated | Not stated |
| Four independent restaurants | Not stated | Announced | Not stated | Not stated |
The Grocery Store and Restaurants Are Still Placeholders
The bottom two rows of that table are the ones most likely to change a weeknight routine on Chestnut Hill, and they have the least detail. The Journal's September coverage lists an unnamed grocery store and four independent restaurants among the announced pieces of Prado Vista, alongside Dave & Buster's. No operator names, square footage, or dates have been published.
The hotel's restaurants are in the same position. The city's announcement says the Dolce will have multiple dining venues but does not name them. If the hotel opens on the developer's schedule, those may be the first new places to eat at Prado Vista. Since they will be built inside a 250-room conference hotel, their first customers will likely be overnight guests and event attendees.
That's the practical takeaway for anyone a mile or less away. The approved, financed, already-graded part of Prado Vista is the meetings and visitors part. The everyday shopping and dining part is a list of categories without names.
How Traffic Gets In From the Sunnybrook Side
The roadwork is what nearby residents will notice first. In December 2025, the Madison County Journal reported on the city's plans for access to the site.
- A new traffic signal at the Topgolf Way and Ridgeland High School intersection on Colony Park Boulevard, budgeted at $369,775, with a target of the first half of 2026.
- An extension of Topgolf Way east of Topgolf to serve the rest of Prado Vista, budgeted at $548,327, on right-of-way donated by Topgolf.
- Water and sewer improvements along Colony Park Boulevard to support Prado Vista and other development.
The city's adopted FY2027 budget, approved Sept. 1, 2026, shows $782,243 for the Topgolf Way Street & Intersection Improvement Fund in fiscal 2026. It shows no spending planned in that fund for fiscal 2027, which runs through Sept. 30, 2027. The city budgeted the access road and signal money for the year before the hotel's estimated finish.
If you live on Chestnut Hill, the drive past Ridgeland High School on Colony Park Boulevard is where the next year of construction will be easiest to see. That's where the hotel site meets the road built to reach it.
If you'd like to talk through what a conference hotel and new commercial space on Colony Park Boulevard could mean for your home or your plans, Bowie & Co. Real Estate is close by. We follow these Ridgeland projects closely and are glad to give you a straight answer. Schedule a consultation whenever it suits you.
