DALLAS (AP) — Texas skiers looking to hit the slopes in the coming years could find themselves traveling to a Dallas suburb rather than the mountains of Colorado or New Mexico.

City leaders in Grand Prairie are expected to vote in January on a $215 million plan to build the country's first snow dome.

Grand Alps Resort would offer seven slopes year-round, a snowboard course and a Hard Rock Hotel. The complex would cover about 60 acres.

Sherman Thurston, president of the Grand Alps Group, says land purchases could start by February with groundbreaking in May. Developers are projecting a 2017 opening.

Mayor Ron Jensen tells The Dallas Morning News that raising the money for the project won't be easy so he's taking a cautious approach, giving the project a 50-50 chance.

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