After months of discussion the Frisco Community Development Corp. is expected to officially agree to terms Sept. 18 with a new tenant in the Frisco Discovery Center—the National Videogame Museum.
The meeting is at 6:30 p.m. in Conference Room 3A of Frisco City Hall, 6101 Frisco Square Blvd.
The CDC is expected to approve an agreement that includes providing the museum with 10,000 square feet of the back-of-house space in the Discovery Center as well as $800,000 toward finish-out of the space and construction of an additional 75-space parking lot. Under the agreement the city would lease the space to the NVM for two years at $1 per year, renewable for an additional two years at $1 per year.
The CDC would also provide a matching grant of $100,000 to help pay for startup costs, such as staffing, marketing and display units, and the Frisco Convention and Visitors Bureau would provide an additional $100,000 grant to help pay for the finish-out of the space and display units.
If the agreement is approved, the NVM would begin construction in January and have the museum collection relocated by April.
The agreement also extends to expansions of the museum. Built into the lease terms is a clause that the NVM will begin a capital fundraising campaign for "Version 2.0" by May and that any subsequent versions of the museum would be constructed in Frisco.
The VHM originally expressed interest in leasing the entire 15,000 square feet of back-of-house space, which is currently being used by Frisco Arts to lease out to various groups as a way to raise funds.
A split—about 10,000 square feet to the VHM and 5,000 square feet plus an additional 3,000-plus square feet for Frisco Arts—was proposed to the organizations.
As a result the VHM scaled back its original plans to a more temporary exhibit with a goal of creating a bigger, more permanent museum at some point in the future.
The CDC board will also consider and act on a resolution "directing publication of notice of projects and notice of public hearing for the expenditure of funds for Community Development Corp. participation toward improvements relating to the National Videogame Museum for the purposes of economic and community development."