The big picture
A group of some current and former Rail District business owners attended a Nov. 5 Frisco City Council meeting to ask city leaders directly if they could help the historic downtown’s local stores as parking lots and Main Street lanes continue closing.
Downtown construction broke ground in June. The improvements, which are all expected to finish in early 2026, include:
- Widening sidewalks
- Constructing a Fourth Street Plaza with event stage and open space
- Rail-themed shade structures
- Building a parking garage
“We'll be investing nearly $100 million into our downtown, over $100 million over time,” Mayor Jeff Cheney said. “That is to try to make a long-term viable success story and make it a place that people want to be.”
Dennis Francis, owner of the Depot Cafe on Main Street, said he wants the city to consider some economic relief for business owners as he has started to cut some of his 22 employees' hours.
Resident Rick Kauten, who closed his Rail District business for reasons unrelated to construction, said he worries the downtown’s original local businesses will not “see the fruits” of the city’s redevelopment.
“The thing I would hate to see is we get this great plaza, we have a beautiful Main Street, we've got this wonderful parking garage, and we turn around and we see a bunch of empty buildings,” Kauten said. “Or we see buildings that are now businesses that haven't been in The Rail District—they’re coming in because it’s an opportunity because the business that was there for five years, 10 years or more, had to leave.”
The main issue hurting downtown businesses is the lack of parking, Gameshow Experience co-owner Shannon Hammond said. Construction already took most, if not all, of the on-street parking spots on Main Street and has closed many of the smaller parking lots on Elm Street.
“People are going to have to literally drive in the neighborhoods for parking,” she said.
The next parking lot to close for construction is located behind the School of Rock and Frisco Chamber of Commerce building. It will close sometime this winter to begin construction on the multi-level parking garage on the same spot.
A closer look
Hammond said she doesn't want to be “seen as a complainer” and appreciates the investment the city is making. Some of the recent initiatives city officials have launched to promote downtown spending include a Receipt Race, social media campaigns and frequent calls to residents to support their local businesses.
The problem is, Hammond said, that residents will not want to come to The Rail District in the meantime if there is no place to park.
“There’s this perceived thing that it’s really a hassle down there,” she said. “I know you guys are working behind the scenes to get this done for us and I do want to say I know that and I really appreciate that.”
Keep in mind
There is already an economic incentive program in place in The Rail District—the Frisco Economic Development Corporation launched a reimbursement program for Type A businesses in May. The three-year program will reimburse Type A businesses up to 50% for the costs of some approved renovations and upgrades.
Type A businesses are commercial businesses with a majority of their products or services marketed beyond Frisco, such as architectural firms and technology startups.
Frisco resident and realtor Josh Meek said he does not expect Frisco officials to fund an entire year’s worth of economic relief but that “some direct economic relief would be impactful.”
“Out of the 18 business owners I have connected with, they roughly employ 136 employees. Many of these employers are now becoming concerned about the future and what it holds for their staff,” he said. “Paying rent has also started to become a challenge for many of these businesses located in downtown.”
Meek, who is also a board member of the Frisco Community Development Corporation and has previously run for City Council, said Main Street’s position as the only major roadway feeding The Rail District justifies additional help.
When Legacy Drive was going through construction, another project that did not warrant city economic relief, those businesses had other access routes and parking options, Meek said. Main Street businesses do not, he said.
“If you don't think that this is a unique scenario compared to a typical city project, go stand down at the intersection of Main and Fifth Street,” Meek said. “Each of these businesses is entrenched with construction.”
City officials have made other efforts to support downtown businesses during construction, including allowing exemptions to a sign ordinance for more types of advertising.
Conversations surrounding downtown businesses have been a part of every executive session meeting council has had since July and staff will continue to look for and implement “creative ideas” to ease parking and mobility concerns, Cheney said.
“I can tell you also that council and staff is very much sympathetic of, as [City Manager Wes Pierson] put it, having to break the eggs to make the omelet,” he said. “It's going to be a challenging road.”
Also of note
For some Frisco residents, effects of downtown construction have spread out past The Rail District’s limits. The ongoing road work was listed as the reason for canceling Frisco’s Community Parade, a celebration for the city’s veterans and local schools.
The parade is expected to resume again in 2026 after construction is finished.
Before you go
Residents can find updated maps with parking availability and construction progress at the city's dedicated Rail District Redevelopment website.
More information about the Frisco Chamber’s Receipt Race, which will wrap up this winter, can be found here.
