Frisco officials review plans for $12.8M public-private animal facility

Frisco officials are one step closer to building the city’s public-private animal shelter.

At a March 17 work session, Frisco City Council members reviewed updated plans and design details for the city’s proposed animal services facility.

Once a contract is approved, construction on the facility could start as early as January 2028, though final details are still being discussed.

What happened

Heather Lewis, city consultant for the project and principal of architecture firm Animal Arts, said the new facility aims to implement a cost-effective design with a focus on community engagement.

“The public-private partnership aspect of this project is an incredible opportunity,” Lewis said. “We can provide more services to the citizens through this.”

Lewis said facility features include a full-service veterinary clinic, adoption and foster programs, a 24-hour care dormitory and community resources such as pet food assistance and education spaces.

Breaking it down

Lewis said facility plans have changed slightly, including by increasing the proposed building size from about 19,100 square feet to roughly 22,500 square feet with a one-story layout rather than a two-story layout.

About 38% of the building will be used for city-related purposes, but Lewis said that due to the flexible design, city staff could use more of the building for community meeting spaces as needed.

Lewis said current estimates show a need to include 20 dog enclosures, 18 cat enclosures and five exotic animal flexible spaces. The facility will also have designated medical isolation spaces separated by animal.

While the city does not currently accept pet surrenders, Lewis noted 10% of these are accounted for in the facility’s planned capacity modeling.

Lewis said the facility is also being designed with future expansion in mind, as well as the ability to handle increases in animal intake at the facility.

“We really want this to last for years, so we want this to be pragmatic,” Lewis said. “It will be able to withstand any of the normal surges that occur and be able to have the right capacity.”

Ken Schmidt, Frisco Director of Special Projects, also noted that while city staff like the proposed site at the intersection of Preston Road and PGA Parkway, it also presents some challenges, such as the topography of the site.

Zooming out

Several council members raised concerns about the data used to estimate the facility’s proposed capacity and its potential relationship with the Collin County Animal Shelter.

Frisco Animal Services division currently takes animals to the Collin County shelter, which is based in McKinney. The proposed new facility is currently planned to act as a holding facility before animals are taken to the county shelter, with varying levels of time they would be held.

Schmidt said while the average holding period is roughly 18 days, the minimum holding period at the proposed facility will be set at five days.

“If there’s capacity in the facility, the animal can stay,” Schmidt said.

Lewis confirmed that, regardless of Frisco’s interlocal agreement with the county shelter, the shelter’s footprint is not expected to see any changes.

Frisco’s contract with the county shelter was listed on council’s March 17 executive session agenda, but no action was taken on the item.

“Prior to moving forward with this, that relationship would need to be resolved,” Mayor Jeff Cheney said.

Some context

Frisco City Council approved signing a letter of intent with an operator for the facility in November and is moving toward signing an official agreement for the facility.

Several private partners are expected to be involved with the facility, including Nicole Kohanski, founder of Wiggle Butt Academy, who was mentioned in the November letter of intent as the potential operator for the Frisco facility.

The project will be funded by the Frisco Community Development Corp., which will pay an initial $12.8 million for the site and associated facility development costs. The operator will have a 20-year land and facility lease and will pay back roughly $7.7 million through rent.

Three council members voted against the agreement in November, citing concerns about fiscal responsibility and a lack of data on the animal needs in the city.

What’s next?

Schmidt said council will revisit the topic in about a month to discuss the construction budget and final partnership terms, but a date has not yet been set.

“We will continue to evaluate this as we move forward,” Lewis said. “Design doesn’t stop today.”