PAC forms in support of ballot measure



Tony Spino, owner of The Frisco Bar, said there are few things more frustrating to him than losing customers to restaurants and bars across SH 121 in The Shops at Legacy in Plano simply because they are allowed to serve alcohol until 2 a.m. when Frisco businesses are not.



"On numerous occasions—almost every weekend—I can have my business that is just packed, and come midnight we have to tell all these adults they have to go home," Spino said. "A large percentage of them get in their car and drive to a neighboring town."



Frisco resident Jo Hooper, however, said she has a hard time believing Frisco businesses need to be able to sell alcohol until midnight, much less 2 a.m., when the city has few transportation options to give people an alternative to drinking and driving.



In May 2008 voters, through a petition effort and subsequent election, repealed an ordinance that allowed late-night alcohol sales. Frisco residents voted 56.77 percent to 43.23 percent in favor of keeping restricted hours. A total of 7,016 of about 100,000 residents at the time went to the polls.



"[Residents against late-night hours] believed it would change the culture of our town, and we just didn't see the economic impact [businesses] said the sales would have," Hooper said. "This is a family-friendly community, and this is one thing that sets us apart."



Six years later, the issue will once again go before voters in the Nov. 4 election.



Back on the ballot



Under the current ordinance, Frisco restaurants and bars must close their doors at midnight on every day except Saturday, when they are allowed to stay open until 1 a.m.



When Frisco residents vote in November, they will decide whether to allow Frisco City Council members to revisit the late-night alcohol sales ordinance for possible passage.



The council voted 4-1 at a special meeting Aug. 18 to call the election—the last day to do so allowed by law.



Mayor Maher Maso told council members he thought it was important that the issue be put on the ballot in the fall because developers, such as those for the Dallas Cowboys mixed-use project and Wade Park mixed-use project, said they are losing business prospects to nearby cities that allow late-night alcohol sales.



Some council members and residents questioned the transparency of bringing the issue forward at the last minute instead of discussing the ballot measure earlier in the year or waiting until spring. Others thought the issue should have come back to the ballot not because of a council vote but by a citizen petition initiative.



The majority of council members agreed extending late-night alcohol sales hours would help Frisco businesses—and future developments—stay competitive.



Councilman Tim Nelson said the vote is about allowing residents to make a decision. Also, he said it is likely that both Collin and Denton counties will each have a population of more than 800,000 by the 2020 U.S. census, which would mean by state law the hours in Frisco would automatically be extended.



"It's been six-and-a-half years since we had the election in 2008," Nelson said. "In-six-and-a-half years, coincidentally, it will be 2021. I think this is a great midpoint to say 'Hey, what do the people want?' This is a different city than it was six-and-a-half years ago, and I'd be curious to see which way it goes."



Business perspective



Spino said the late-night hours are important to local businesses and to the city.



"If we don't collect that revenue, somebody else is," he said. "And if you are going to drink in that city, you are probably going to eat [there] as well. Next time they might make the decision to go to that other city first."



He said the lack of late-night alcohol sales is why a development such as Plano's Shops at Legacy mixed-use development of housing, retail and restaurants has not opened in Frisco.



"Jerry Jones, with his Cowboys stadium, is wanting that law," Spino said. "If people are wanting Wade Park to be a mirror image of the Shops at Legacy, that law needs to be in effect."



Craig Sundell, general manager for the Westin-Stonebriar hotel, said there is no way to measure the business lost because "The reputation is there, and people choose otherwise," he said, adding that people with weddings or other events who do not do their research before booking are often disappointed.



He said the hotel has documentation from people and organizations who said they will not come back because of the early hours.



Opposition to extended hours



Hooper, who served as the spokeswoman for Frisco Family First, the political action committee that formed to oppose the late-night hours in 2008, said there is still a group of residents who are against it, although they have not decided what, if any, opposition they would mount.



She said it would be difficult to start a campaign because the Aug. 18 council vote left less than three months to mobilize and fundraise.



"When you are going up against the city, developers and the chamber, you need more time than that," she said.



Echoing a discussion from some of the council members, she questioned the transparency and lack of information before the decision. She also questioned why council members would not wait for the citizens to bring the issue back through a petition—just as those opposed were forced to do in 2008 in order to have the ordinance repealed.



Advocacy



A political action committee, FRISCO 2AM PAC, has formed in support of late-night alcohol sales. The PAC has started a website that can be found atwww.frisco2am.com.



Treasurer Chris Moss said the PAC was formed in the interest of improving quality of life and economic issues in Frisco. He said Frisco has been working to draw higher-end restaurants and retail and late-night alcohol sales are a large part of that.



Moss said that in addition to certain restaurants that won't come to Frisco because of the ordinance, it is also a public safety issue since people leave Frisco bars late and drive to other cities.



He said the PAC is made up of a "handful of citizens," that are working with the Frisco Chamber of Commerce and the Frisco Economic Development Corp. and hope to get local businesses and developers involved as well.



"We think the majority of Frisco residents think it's time [for late-night hours]," he said.



Chamber President Tony Felker said the chamber is in support of late-night hours.



"We can have late-night hours and still keep the values that are very dear to Frisco," he said.



Felker said from a chamber perspective the late-night hours are good for business, and any time large businesses—such as those in the major developments—are doing well, small businesses will also benefit.