Frisco approves rezoning for $850 million mixed

The approved mixed-use development is set for the northeast intersection of Spring Creek Parkway and SH 121.

While members of the Frisco City Council had concerns over some aspects of a proposed mixed-use development, they also saw the opportunities.

The council approved a request to rezone 60 acres at the northeast corner of Spring Creek Parkway and SH 121 from agricultural to planned development for Spring Creek Frisco 45, which project leaders said could be valued at $720 and $850 million once complete.

The project is expected to feature about 50 percent residential with 1,092 urban living units and 65 townhome units.

Project leaders said there will be four offices with a maximum of 1.4 million square feet and about 80,000 square feet of retail, with the option to increase that within the office area. It will have a hotel, which is expected to have a minimum of 350 rooms.

The project will also have 22 percent open space throughout.

Jim Knight, senior principal of development firm Stantec, said the project will be “a mixed-use project with a campus corporate office focus.”

Knight said real estate firm KDC will be searching for high-end tenants.

“We want to bring the first Fortune 500 Company to this community,” Knight said.

Deputy Mayor Pro Tem John Keating shared in the optimism.

“The Plano side of the tollway is lined with office space, and we’re seeing it extend south,” Keating said. “And on our side we have car dealerships, a cement factory and some empty lots. I would like to see a quality development come in and raise the value of these properties along (SH) 121 and get back our business opportunity and our investment.”

Several residents in the audience had concerns over the project, specifically the number of apartments.

Resident James Works, who lives just north of the proposed development, said the development is about two times more dense than larger Frisco developments, such as The Rail, The Gate and Frisco Station, when factoring in actual density and not allowed density.

“The residents have asked you time and again not to shove apartments down our throat,” Works said.

Resident Bill Short said more conversation should have taken place by the Planning and Zoning Commission about the property being reclassified as a transit-oriented development (TOD), which allows for 50 percent residential. The P&Z recommended approval for the project earlier in the night.

Works said a reasonable number of apartments would be 25 percent residential.

Linda Kelly, president of the Stonebriar Country Club Estates HOA, said she is concerned about traffic congestion she said is already bad near her neighborhood.

“If we double the density here, we’re going to create a lot more problems,” Kelly said.

Council members said they understand the residents’ concerns but noted several ways the project has evolved since it was first presented earlier in the year. For example, the number of apartment units went from 1,250 to 1,092 with the building height decreasing from 15 stories maximum to five stories. The number of townhome units went from 90 to 65.

Office space went from about 2.1 million square feet to about 1.4 million square feet. Office and hotel height went from 14 stories to 10.

Knight said the townhomes provide a transition to the single-family portion to the north, adding that the distance between single-family and the nearest urban living building is “more than the length of a football field.”

Councilman Brian Livingston voted against the project, noting the traffic and density concerns.

Others who voted in favor said the city needs to address the TOD designation since it’s unclear if public transportation will be coming to that part of Frisco.

“Until there is transportation, we shouldn’t be talking about a TOD,” Councilman Will Sowell said.

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