Local · Trusted · Free
The Morning Impact — your neighborhood's most important stories, delivered every morning.
Construction is officially underway on the first phase of Grand Park, Frisco’s long-planned signature park near downtown.
City officials broke ground April 27 on the park, which will span over 1,000 acres just west of the Dallas North Tollway.
What you need to know
Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney said Grand Park will be a “world-class park” and compared its scale to New York City’s Central Park, which covers about 843 acres.
He said Grand Park is one of Frisco’s “20-year overnight success stories,” as the project has been in the works since Frisco voters approved bond funding in 2006.
“Today is a true milestone in the future of Frisco,” Cheney said. “This is a generational gift for this community.”
Zooming in
Grand Park is planned to include community gathering spaces, adventure play areas, sports facilities and a botanic garden with nature areas.
The park will be built in four phases, beginning with Civic Park, a 68-acre section planned to feature an amphitheater, pond and walking trails, per city documents.
Frisco City Council recently approved a nearly $44 million contract with Crossland Construction Company for Civic Park.
Future phases are expected to add a children’s section with tree houses, playgrounds, sports facilities and a botanic garden with nature areas.
Some context
Cheney said the project has stretched across multiple City Councils and mayors over the last two decades.
“It would have been really easy for leadership to give up on this project, [but] every generation continued to pass the torch, saying, ‘We’re not going to give up on the dream,’” Cheney said.
Construction on Grand Park was delayed for years as the city worked through environmental issues tied to the former Exide Technologies site nearby.
The former lead battery recycling plant facility, located across the tollway from Grand Park, contaminated surrounding land and water with harmful chemicals.
Although Exide initially agreed to handle parts of the cleanup, years of delays led Frisco officials to acquire the site in 2020 and take over remediation efforts.
Frisco City Council recently approved $22.4 million in funding for additional environmental cleanup, bringing total costs to just over $62 million.
“This project couldn’t get unstuck until that was done,” Cheney said. “There’s probably very few places that could have looked down the barrel of a 20-year plan, dealing with an Exide-type project ... [and] have the fortitude to see it through.”
What they’re saying
Lisa Kirby, chair of Frisco’s parks and recreation board, said Grand Park will play a central role in strengthening the city’s overall park system.
“Grand Park is a cornerstone project,” Kirby said. “It’s a defining step in building a park system that is connected, balanced and future ready, and that’s something this community will benefit [from] far beyond today.”
Chad Brubaker, president of the Frisco Community Development Corp. board, said Grand Park represents the culmination of the city’s long-term strategy to reinvest sales tax revenue into public amenities.
“As a quality of life project, Grand Park will be unprecedented throughout our state and really throughout the nation,” Brubaker said.
Jan-Paul Kosters, Frisco resident of nearly 30 years, said he is excited to see the project finally moving forward.
“I admire the city, the City Council and the mayor for pulling this through,” Kosters said. “[The 1,011 acres] may be overkill, but it’s a good thing.”
He said Frisco has built enough other parks to make up for the delays with Grand Park, and he’s looking forward to seeing city officials work on connecting those parks.
Looking ahead
Cheney said Play Frisco is now planning the park’s next phase, and city officials will continue to guide and shape the project.
“Every mayor and council member that’s elected probably over at least the next 20 years will have a hand in shaping the future of this park,” Cheney said. “This is just a start. It’s not the ending.”
