Frisco City Council members saw new renderings, updated timelines and additional features for Fourth Street Plaza, a pedestrian-friendly redesign of Frisco’s downtown area, during a Nov. 7 work session meeting.
The breakdown
The opening dates for the plaza and parking garage are expected to align with the 2026 World Cup so both Frisco residents and any visitors can enjoy the new space, said Jason Brodigan, interim director of engineering services.
“That's an aggressive schedule, but it's also one that we believe is very doable,” Brodigan said.
A construction contract should get to council members for them to approve sometime in March, Brodgian said. The full schedule for building Fourth Street Plaza includes:
- Elm Street construction: July-December 2023
- Main Street construction: April 2024-April 2026
- Plaza construction: April 2024-April 2026
- Downtown parking garage construction: August 2024-July 2025
“Everything goes well today, we're going to put the throttle down, we're going to finish the plans and get everything moving and get under construction,” Brodigan said.
The details
Fourth Street Plaza will turn the existing downtown spaces into a “wonderful experience,” said Stan Cowan, president and principal of Mesa Design Group, the firm designing the plaza.
“It really gives me goosebumps to think about it,” Mayor Jeff Cheney said.
Some features planned for the plaza include:
- A veranda-style performance stage and grass lawn designed to fit 3,000-4,000 people
- Parking garage
- A train track-inspired red and white shade structure
- Trough water fountains
- Fire pits
- Seating areas
- Vendor spaces
- Public restrooms
- Light features underneath shade structure and for the stage
- Trees and seasonable landscape features
“It’s everything you could imagine to have,” Cowan said.
Some of the features visible in the renderings will not be part of the final project, such as the large geyser fountains near the grass space, due to budget constraints. The parking garage will also likely not look exactly how it does in the renderings, Brodigan said.
Zooming out
Constructing Fourth Street Plaza has been a dream of city officials for years, Cheney said. The project was officially proposed in 2018 after it was mentioned in the city’s 2015 comprehensive plan.
“I think this will set the standard for the rest of what we see happening downtown,” council member Angelia Pelham said.
Stay tuned
Residents can learn more about the project by attending a 2:30-6:30 p.m. Dec. 7 open house at the Frisco Chamber of Commerce office, located at 6843 Main St., Frisco.
The town hall will include the same presentation shown to council Nov. 7 as well as city staff available to answer any questions, Brodigan said.
“I think that’s a good time—2:30-6:30 [p.m.], I think, is a good time to get people who work in the Rail District to be able to come by and those who live in the Rail District to be able to come by after work,” Brodigan said.
Additional information about the projects can also be found on the city’s website at www.friscotexas.gov/1599/downtown-street-improvements-and-plaza-p.
