What happened?
Council members unanimously approved the new ordinance during an April 2 meeting following a unanimous recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission on March 26.
The only change made was to allow some of the development’s required parking to be accommodated with surface parking lots, Development Services Director John Lettelleir said.
Roughly 90% of the parking will still be provided through parking garages, Lettelleir said.
“It’s pretty straightforward,” commission Chair Jon Kendall said March 26. “I’m excited to see hopefully dirt moving soon.”
Zooming out
Development plans for the Firefly Park land, previously known as Frisco North and The Oxbow at Frisco before that, were presented to city officials in 2017 and would have never been approved as they were, Mayor Jeff Cheney said.
“I can now share laughs with the existing developer; however, at one point I literally threw his plans in the trash because it wasn't taking advantage of the parks space in the development and was really turning the back of development to it,” he said.
Firefly Park is located on the southwest corner of US 380 and Dallas North Tollway, according to meeting documents. City officials have been looking for projects for the area, which is considered one of Frisco’s most strategic properties, for roughly a decade, Cheney said.
The ordinance updated April 2 was first approved in August 2022, according to meeting documents.
“This is getting to the tail end of a multiyear planning and zoning case,” Cheney said.
Today, plans for the multiphase, mixed-use development include:
- Park spaces
- Event lawn
- Amphitheater
- Bike trails
- Hotel tower
- Residential tower
- Pedestrian trails
- Townhomes
What next?
Council is looking forward to a groundbreaking, Cheney said. More information and construction updates are expected to be announced in the future.
