The Frisco Community Development Corp. made no decision at its July 17 meeting on the use of the Frisco Discovery Center back-of-house space, but came a step closer.
Frisco Arts, which currently leases out the 15,000 square feet of back-of-house space, is vying with the Videogame History Museum, which wants to locate to Frisco. Both are nonprofit organizations.
CDC members asked city staff to bring back information at a later meeting relating to the Frisco Arts use of and revenue generated by the back-of-house space.
Two of the board members asked city staff to explore whether or not the space might be utilized by both Frisco Arts and the Videogame History Museum.
CDC board member John Classe said also in the mix is 50,000 square feet of space in the Frisco Discovery Building—close to a third of the entire space—that is being used by GEA Food Services. GEA's contract is up in 2016, which could leave more space for other uses in the future.
The board plans to hold a joint session with the Frisco City Council for discussion of the use of space in advance of the next CDC meeting.
Dozens of residents attended the meeting in support of Frisco Arts.
CDC President Gary Carley stressed the only space at question is the back-of-house space—the Black Box Theatre, Frisco Art Gallery and Sci-Tech Discovery Center would be unaffected.
Frisco Arts Executive Director Sharon Roland said all the revenue from the back-of-house space that the Frisco Arts rents out to other organizations goes toward the operation of the theatre and art gallery. Some of the organizations that rent the space are arts-related, but others are not, she said.
"It's important to us that we be able to earn money—not just be given money—but earn money for the arts," she said.
Roland said 40 percent of the revenue generated by Frisco Arts is from the back-of-house space the organization calls the special events center.
VHM representative Una McCeen told attendees the arts and the Videogame History Museum have a place in Frisco. She said the Videogame History Museum is an opportunity to bring something extremely relative to science, technology and math, along with the art that goes into video games. It's a huge market, she said, encompassing young, old, male, female—and it's the future, she said.
She said the museum will add much to Frisco in terms of culture and tax dollars, and draw visitors from around the state and the country.
