In response to a resident’s question during a Feb. 3 town hall, City Manager Wes Pierson confirmed the city has been trying to find a private partner to help bring an animal shelter inside city limits.
“We’ve been working with a partner to try and find a model that would allow the city to have a public-private partnership for the operation of an animal shelter,” Pierson said. “We are still in the process of trying to develop that partnership.”
Put in perspective
Frisco officials have used public-private partnerships to bring several projects to the city, including Toyota Stadium and the Ford Center at The Star.
Building an animal shelter is a frequent discussion topic between residents and the city—the question Pierson answered Feb. 3 was one of several related to Frisco’s animal shelter plans submitted by residents through Facebook.
City officials have a location in mind where an animal shelter could go if they found a private partner, Pierson said.
The site, located inside a piece of north Frisco near PGA Parkway called the Luminant Tract, is owned by Frisco’s Community Development Corporation.
According to the city's capital improvement projects dashboard, a portion of the Luminant Tract is located near the southwest corner of PGA Parkway and Preston Road.
The city is in the process of developing the land for a North Texas Municipal Water District transfer station and a commercial recycling center, Pierson said. It is also where an animal shelter would go once development is completed and if the city finds a partner, he said.
“When that overall property is developed, then we can discuss the timing of facility construction,” Pierson said.
What council members are saying
The topic of a Frisco-owned animal shelter came up again Feb. 4 during a Frisco City Council meeting as council members were discussing whether or not to put two items related to the Frisco Center for the Arts on the May 3 ballot.
The arts facility propositions were placed on the ballot after a 5-1 vote.
The Frisco Center for the Arts and an animal shelter are unrelated, Mayor Jeff Cheney said.
“The City Council has given direction to our city manager under the terms that we would be willing to move forward with our own animal shelter,” he said. “They've already identified a place where it would go. They're pursuing partners, and if that opportunity presents itself, then the council will be prepared to vote on that and move forward with that.”
Council member Laura Rummel said the city is looking for an animal shelter partner the same way they did when they partnered with FC Dallas for Toyota Stadium or the Dallas Cowboys for The Star.
“There are things that city government is not good at or doesn't have the expertise at,” she said. “We do not have the expertise to have an animal shelter of our own, which is why we have been searching for a partner.”
Looking back
Frisco almost had an animal shelter project included in its May 2023 bond. The city’s bond committee at the time proposed a $5 million proposition for constructing, improving and equipping an animal shelter located in Frisco to the bond package earlier that year.
The proposition was ultimately not placed on the ballot with city officials saying they would continue to explore partnership opportunities.
In the meantime
Frisco has a partnership with the Collin County Animal Shelter, which is located in McKinney, for animal shelter services.
Collin County voters approved a $683 million bond in a November 2023 election, roughly $5.7 million of which was to expand the animal shelter’s capacity and services by constructing a one-story, 10,000-square-foot addition to the north side of the existing animal shelter building.
This addition would include:
- Four kennel runs
- A cat quarantine room and sick bay
- A clinic room with two surgery bays
- Office and storage areas
- Education and meeting rooms
The construction is estimated to be complete by February 2027. The expansion is expected to benefit the nearby cities that utilize the shelter, including Frisco.
Frisco’s Police Department has its own animal services team. Residents can report if they lost or found a pet on the animal service’s website to reunite pets with their owners before they get to the shelter, Police Chief David Shilson said Feb. 3.
The city helped reunite around 300 lost pets last year, he said.
Frisco also has an Animal Advisory Committee, which is an ad-hoc citizen committee created in 2022 to advise Frisco City Council members on animal-related issues and advocate for animals and pet owners, according to the city’s website.
