Fans gather outside The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco during the kickoff event Aug. 27.[/caption]
1. The Star in Frisco actively attracting tenants, events
What we reported Three years after it was first announced, The Star in Frisco held a kickoff celebration Aug. 27 with a quadruple-header featuring eight of Frisco ISD’s football teams at The Ford Center at The Star, the new 12,000-seat stadium and special-events center. The 91-acre mixed-use development is anchored by the Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters.
The latest The Star has announced 14 new retail tenants (in addition to the eight previously announced), three office tenants and several events since opening the first phase.
What's next More retail tenants are expected to be announced in the coming months. The Omni Hotel at The Star is also slated to open in 2017, and more retail space is under construction.
Read more here.
2. Frisco ISD trims budget after tax hike voted down
What we reported Frisco ISD held a tax ratification election in August asking voters to approve a 13-cent increase to the district’s tax rate, which voters turned down. According to district officials, the increase would have generated enough revenue to cover the $30.6 million that FISD is estimated to lose from the elimination of a special fund called Additional State Aid for Tax Reduction.
The latest Through the 2017-18 school-year budget process, FISD is incorporating a priorities-based budgeting model where the district is funding high-priority areas that have the greatest impact on students.
What's next In the next few months the committees are expected to present budget recommendations to district staff for evaluation.
3. Main Street widening and power line work to begin
What we reported The battle over a power line route on West Main Street ended in May when the Public Utility Commission of Texas approved an amended stipulation agreement that would allow the majority of the lines to be buried. The approved route spans about 3 miles along Main Street from west of FM 423 to east of Legacy Drive.
The latest City engineering and design work is underway to widen Main Street from four lanes to six lanes. Construction is expected to start sometime between July and September. The power lines will be buried in conjunction with road work.
What's next Frisco Chamber of Commerce President Tony Felker said the chamber will work with the city and affected commercial property owners during the construction process.
Frisco voters in May turned down a ballot measure that would have allowed liquor stores in city limits.[/caption]
4. Alcohol ordinances re-evaluated
What we reported Last May, Frisco voters turned down an alcohol referendum that would have allowed liquor stores and bars throughout the city. City and community leaders opposed the proposition that was brought by a political action committee, Frisco Committee for Economic Growth, in 2015. Those opposed said if the measure passed, it would have eroded the city’s ability to regulate establishments that generate more than 50 percent of their revenue from alcohol sales.
The latest Frisco Chamber of Commerce President Tony Felker said some recently announced tenants at The Star in Frisco have expressed concerns about the city’s alcohol regulations. Felker said the chamber and the city are working together to consider creating entertainment districts within certain developments that would allow the alcohol-to-food ratio to be increased. The City Council would have the ability to pass zoning for these districts without calling an election.
What's next Felker said after the May election, voters came forward saying they would like to have liquor stores in Frisco. To be placed on a future ballot, the issue must go through a petition process. Felker said the chamber is working to organize a petition to bring forward a proposition and will try to bring the issue to the November ballot.
5. Six elections take place in 2016; more to come in 2017
What we reported From the Republican and Democratic primary and general elections, to the Frisco City Council and local option election and the Frisco ISD tax ratification election, Frisco voters had the chance to go to the polls six times in 2016.
The latest Council Member Bob Allen announced in October his intention to run for Frisco mayor. By city rules, he must vacate his current Place 1 council seat, which means the first election date of 2017 will be a special election Feb. 18 to fill the remainder of Allen’s three-year term, which ends in 2018.
What's next The first regular election of the year will be the May 6 general election for school board and city. Voters will vote for the Frisco mayor seat, Place 5 and Place 6 council member seats. With city elections there is a possibility of runoff election, plus the possibility of another alcohol election in November, Frisco could face another election-heavy year.
Toyota Stadium is undergoing a $39 million renovation project that will usher in the National Soccer Hall of Fame.[/caption]
6. Toyota Stadium upgrades, hall of fame
What we reported Toyota Stadium has been undergoing renovations since May. The $39 million project will usher in the National Soccer Hall of Fame museum.
The latest Crews are working to install a new speaker system, while a sound system is being installed to provide sound on the north concourse. The project also includes two new 100-person locker rooms, premium seating, a private club, a media center and a team store.
What’s next The National Soccer Hall of Fame will celebrate its grand opening in 2018. Along with the opening of the museum, two additional video boards will be added along the facade of the new construction. The video upgrades will be in place for opening day of FC Dallas in March.
7. Construction to begin on Stonebriar Centre hotel
What we reported In April, Frisco City Council approved a 15-story, 295-room Hyatt Regency hotel and conference center that will be attached to Stonebriar Centre. The council also approved an agreement to buy the hotel’s conference center for $10.5 million, and plans include a 3,000-square-foot space the city will lease for $1 per year for the development of the city’s first branch library.
The latest The Frisco Economic Development Corp. and the Community Development Corp. later in April approved an agreement to provide funding toward the cost of the hotel’s construction.
What’s next General Growth Properties, the owner of Stonebriar Centre, will begin construction on a parking garage in March and the hotel in August, with a July 2019 projected opening.
8. Industrial park announced
What we reported In October, the Frisco Economic Development Corp. announced plans to develop a 216-acre corporate industrial park called Frisco Park 25. The industrial park will include 15 building sites.
The latest Frisco Planning and Zoning Commission is expected to hold two public hearings in February to discuss a possible second industrial park at the southwest corner of Rockhill Parkway and Preston Road. The property is owned by the Community Development Corp. and the project has no relation to Frisco Park 25.
What’s next Construction on the first buildings in Frisco Park 25 is expected to begin this year.
HCA North Texas bought Forest Park Medical Center in February and changed the name to Medical City Frisco.[/caption]
9. Forest Park gets new owners, reinvestment
What we reported Forest Park Medical Center started the year in bankruptcy. In February the facility in Frisco Square sold for about $96 million to HCA North Texas. HCA North Texas is now Medical City Healthcare, which owns Medical Center of Plano. In December, a U.S. attorney announced the indictment of 21 hospital founders, investors and others affiliated with FPMC who had been charged with felony offenses related to the payment and receipt of about $40 million in bribes and kickbacks for referring patients to FPMC.
The latest The facility’s new ownership is investing $41 million to expand the Medical City Frisco emergency room, add a cardiac catheterization lab and add a dedicated women’s services unit.
What’s next Medical City Healthcare has bought a 5-acre tract of land north of the 54-bed hospital for future expansion. The land is zoned for a building with a maximum of 15 stories.
Construction on the US 380 roadway is taking place as development in Frisco and Prosper takes shape.[/caption]
10. Road, development projects shape US 380
What we reported Part of the City Council’s top 10 priorities for 2016 was to attract more development to the Frisco side of the highway. Several retail centers and a mixed-used development are planned for US 380 at FM 423, and a theater is planned at the US 380/Dallas North Tollway intersection.
The latest Construction continues on US 380 and on developments on the Prosper side of the highway, including shopping centers, mixed-use developments and medical facilities. Road construction on Phase 1 of the project that stretches from Custer Road to Lovers Lane is nearly complete.
What's next Road construction will continue on Phase 2 of the widening project. On the southeast corner of US 380 and FM 423 on the Frisco side, construction is expected to begin this year on a retail center that includes a Wal-Mart Supercenter, which is expected to open by the end of 2017.
Lindsey Juarez and Krista Wadsworth contributed to this story.
