Visit Frisco, the city’s marketing arm, pitched plans to Frisco City Council during a March 1 workshop for a $50,000 study by research firm Buxton. The study would analyze mobile GPS data on visitors to The Rail District from May 1, 2020-Feb. 1, 2022.
Visit Frisco previously contracted Buxton for three years to track where visitors come from and how they spend time in the city. The most recent study covered data from January 2019-November 2020.
Cori Powers, director of marketing and communications for Visit Frisco, said such a study would explore the number of out-of-town visitors versus residents, origin of visitors, popular venues and those who stay at hotels versus those in The Rail District on a day trip.
“We really do want to understand the visitors that are coming to that area now, and then in the future with the growth that's going to happen,” Powers said. “There's a lot of bullet points under the big project that we're asking them to help us figure out, which is, right now, ‘What does the visitor look like that comes to this area, and what can we learn from that?’”
Visit Frisco Executive Director Marla Roe said her organization’s intent is to conduct a study right before construction on Elm, Fourth and Main streets begins in late spring. Once roadway construction is complete in 2023, Roe said there could be potential for another study.
“I think the timing now is a little bit more appropriate ... especially in light of the construction that's about to happen and redevelopment,” Roe said.
Mayor Jeff Cheney said he hopes the proposed study would identify opportunities for future development on city-owned property, such as plans for a performance stage at the corner of Fourth and Elm streets, or other possible recommendations from Buxton.
“I think that would be my bigger outtake that I would love to see,” Cheney said.
City Council is expected to vote on approval of the plan March 15, according to Powers.
