Firefly Park, a 217-acre, mixed-use development at US 380 and Dallas Parkway is under construction hoping to deliver infrastructure and features such as a park and hotel by 2027.
The big picture
Construction is in the fourth month of a 12-month infrastructure plan, which includes building the main roads to connect the development alongside multi-story buildings and outdoor areas that will make up the development, said Kyle Wilks, CEO of Wilks Development, the owners behind Firefly Park.
The first phase of construction is slated to finish in early 2027 and includes:
- A 190-Dream Hotel with multiple floors reserved for 150,000 square feet of office space
- 230 townhomes
- 45-acre park
- 1,250-car parking garage
- 250-unit high-rise apartment building
- 200-unit mid-rise apartment building
- 120,000 square feet of retail and food and beverage space
- 5,000 square-foot private event chapel
Construction should start going vertical as the first phase’s buildings take shape in mid-2025, Wilks said. The multifamily buildings will be considered luxury apartments with the high-rise apartment building is expected to be 20 stories with some penthouses available while the townhouses should be starting at about $1.5 million, he said.
As part of the ongoing construction, multiple ponds in the development are currently being drained and deepened before restocking them with fish. Fishing is expected to be one of many offerings at Firefly Park alongside the city’s hike and bike trail system, amphitheater venue, playgrounds, picnic groves and a dog park.
Some of the development’s offerings, such as the chapel and park space, could open to the public before the 2027 deadline, Wilks said.
“We call [the park] the soul of the project,” Wilks said.
In case you missed it
Frisco City Council members approved a new zoning ordinance allowing Firefly Park to begin construction in April, roughly seven years after discussions surrounding the property began in 2017.
Wilks Development later signed an agreement with the Frisco Economic Development Corporation, allowing them to contribute 59 acres toward the incoming development.
Zooming out
Firefly Park should offer a little bit of everything, Wilks said. Pre-leasing for the retail spaces is already underway but what restaurants and stores will open is still undecided, he said.
“We're swapping paper with a lot of different groups,” he said.
The development is in a “geographically blessed” corner of the city and able to capitalize on its proximity to other nearby developments and communities, Wilks said. This includes Universal Kids Resort, Baylor Scott & White’s new hospital and the Prosper and Celina communities, he said.
What comes next?
Developers are in the middle of an “ongoing process” with the city to finalize its site plans, Wilks said. The first phase of construction is expected to be split up into six different sites, all of which need to be approved by Frisco Planning and Zoning Commission members and City Council, he said.
The next phases of Firefly Park construction should begin shortly after phase one finishes in early 2027 and include more of the development’s planned multifamily units and retail, Wilks said.
“In a perfect world ... our cranes never stop turning,” Wilks said.
