Blue Star Land’s Star Trails community is being built on the west side of Proper along the route of the Dallas North Tollway. (Prosper Economic Development)

Dallas Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones is making another big play in the town of Prosper.

Jones’ real estate company just broke ground on a major shopping center in the town north of Frisco on Preston Road.

And now Jones’ Blue Star Land is ready to kick off work on a big residential community on Prosper’s west side.

“We are in city hall with plans for an 1,800-home lot development called Star Trail,” Joe Hickman, who heads Blue Star Land, said Monday. “The first phase will be approximately 400 home lots on the northwest corner of Prosper Trail and the Dallas North Tollway.

“We just finished our Star Creek community in Allen,” Hickman said. “So we are looking for the next opportunity to go.”

He said Blue Star already has homebuilders lined up for the new Prosper community.

“Builders are looking for opportunities further north,” Hickman said. “Obviously with the growth and development happening around the Tollway and State Highway 121 and the jobs that have been announced with Toyota, FedEx and Liberty Mutual.”

Hickman was one of several developers who spoke at a presentation hosted by the Prosper Economic Development Corp. More than 300 real estate professionals and business people attended the session.

Blue Star Land and the Jones family have been buying property in Prosper – a former farm town that’s grown to almost 19,000 people – since the mid 1990s.

The 1,000-acre Star Trails community will be located just west of the route of the Dallas North Tollway expansion along First Street and Prosper Trail.

A few weeks ago, Blue Star Land and developer Lincoln Property broke ground for the Gates of Prosper shopping center at Preston and U.S. 380.

“The first phase is 93 acres on the northeast corner,” Hickman said. “There is a mix of retail, restaurants big box stores and other things.”

“We feel like with the roof tops now being in prosper, it’s time for retail.”

The shopping center with more than 300,000 square feet will be anchored by a new Wal-Mart store.

Hickman said restaurant tenants, a sporting good store and home goods retailer have also been signed up for the retail center.

The shopping center is on part of 600 acres Blue Star plans around the Preston/380 intersection.