FRISCO (WBAP/KLIF) – The Frisco City Council voted this week to approve the purchase of 390 acres of land to grow its park system.
The city will purchase the property from Brinkmann Ranch for a total cost of $61 million. Located at the southwest corner of Panther Creek Parkway and Preston Road, about 240 acres will be used for athletic fields; the rest of the land will be used by the city’s community and economic development corporations for future development projects, which could include city facilities.
“As one of the fastest growing cities in the country, it’s important to secure land now for future parks,” said Mayor Jeff Cheney. “Our goal is to grow a world class park system that provides enough park space for future generations as our city continues developing towards its ‘build out’. A premier park system also promotes the active, healthy lifestyle our residents, employees and visitors enjoy in Frisco.”
Frisco’s 2016 Parks Master Plan identifies ‘build out’ population as 350,000 residents. It also notes a target goal of 11.5 acres per 1,000 people. The City of Frisco already owns 1,600 acres of land dedicated to parks, including 900 acres of developed parks. With the addition of the ‘Brinkmann Ranch’ property, Frisco’s dedicated park space totals approximately 1,840 acres.
“This land purchase gets us significantly closer to meeting our city’s needs for community parks at ‘build out’,” said Shannon Keleher, Director of Parks & Recreation. “While the layout of the land has yet to be determined, we’re excited about the opportunity to shape something special to meet the parks and recreational needs of our evolving community.”
The city says that a variety of athletic field needs will be considered for the open ‘green’ space including, but not limited to, baseball, football, soccer, tennis, volleyball, lacrosse and cricket. Staff also envisions turf practice fields, hike and bike trails, even a pond be incorporated into the park’s design. Ample parking will also be a priority.
“Setting land aside for athletic fields helps us meet our anticipated demand for future fields,” said Mayor Cheney. “It also boosts our reputation as Sports City USA as we work to bring more tournaments here. That translates to tourism dollars, in the form of sales and hotel/motel taxes, which helps us keep our property tax rate low.”
The Frisco Community Development Corporation board voted to use $23 million in fund balance reserves to purchase 100 of the 390 acres. The City of Frisco plans to use general obligation bonds to pay for its portion for the approximate 240 acres.
Copyright 2018. WBAP/KLIF News. All Rights Reserved.
