Council members from Jan. 29-30 at The Grove at Frisco Commons laid out their top 10 priorities for 2021 at the tail end of the two-day annual winter work session. City Council members heard reports from more than a dozen city staff members regarding developmental updates, infrastructure and general decision-making strategies.
Frisco City Council’s top 10 priorities in 2021, in unranked order and as listed by the city, are:
- Master-planning of Grand Park
- Performing arts center
- Reinvestment strategy
- Venture capital growth
- World Cup 2026
- Traffic investment
- Trail connectivity
- Austin/state strategy
- Tourism
- Entertainment destinations
Several priorities carried over from the previous year, including continued planning for the city’s long-discussed Grand Park project off Dallas North Tollway and Stonebrook Parkway. Continuing to attract venture capital projects to encourage innovation in Frisco was regarded as a critical economic move by some council members.
Frisco City Council also discussed how they should prepare to leverage the 2026 World Cup if Dallas ends up hosting games in the tournament. The discussion follows the announcement from FIFA revealing Dallas was a finalist city, which could lead to regional partnerships and tourism opportunities.
A new priority to enter the annual list is constructing more entertainment destinations. Mayor Jeff Cheney said in asking residents why they leave Frisco, they often leave to visit entertainment venues in other cities. Council members echoed his sentiments by noting Frisco needs more destinations for nightlife, shopping and fun in general.
In wrapping up the two-day workshop, Cheney said plenty of good things arose in 2020 in spite of the many challenges, speaking in regard to broad-reaching city progress. He said he looks forward to the council and city staff implementing newfound strength from 2020, carrying it into the new year.
“Setting the tone early in talking about 2020—in a positive light—was the perfect way to start this work session. It really kind of opened my eyes, quite frankly,” Cheney said. “It’s time to start moving forward on the bigger goals and bigger vision.”
