Frisco City Council approved a letter of intent in a 5-1 vote for an operator for the proposed performing arts center project during an April 1 City Council meeting.
The letter of intent is for Frisco Live to oversee day-to-day operations of the center. Frisco Live is a Texas not-for-profit corporation combining Broadway Dallas and Broadway Across America, which is owned by The John Gore Organization.
City Council member Brian Livingston voted against approving the letter of intent. Livingston expressed concerns about the financial performance of the center and the city needing to invest more capital into the project down the line.
“This is the next big project in the country,” Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney said.
The details
The Frisco Center for the Arts is anticipated to include multiple performing arts spaces, including a Broadway-caliber main theater, a community hall, and spaces for educational and community programming, according to city documents. The proposed facility could be about 220,000 square feet, if approved by voters.
City officials gathered proposals from several potential operators, including Oak View Group, TVG Hospitality, ASM Global Theater Management and Frisco Live. A team of representatives from city staff, Prosper ISD and the consultant Theatre Project ranked Frisco Live as the top proposer.
Frisco Live would be tasked with overseeing daily operations, maintaining the facility, ensuring its financial viability, booking events at the performance spaces and more.
The background
Plans for the center have changed since last year, according to previous Community Impact reporting. The original plans included a 2,000-seat large hall, 650-seat community hall, outdoor venues and more. Now, the current plans expand the large hall seating to 2,800, shrink the community hall to 400 seats and do away with the outdoor venues.
The previous plans for the center had an estimated price tag of $464 million. Now with the current plan, the facility is expected to cost $300 million-$340 million. In two separate ballot propositions, voters are being asked to approve a $160 million bond and the use of sales and use tax funds to help pay for the facility.
What else?
Broadway Across America has signed a letter of intent with the city promising to create a series for the center if it’s built, according to previous Community Impact reporting. Prosper ISD also signed a letter of intent to contribute $100 million of past bond funds for the project. An agreement covering expenses for the operation of the facility will be brought back to council for consideration at a future date.
