Frisco holds public hearing on proposed $300–$340M Center for the Arts; funding plan, operator LOI draw split public response

Frisco City Council on April 7 held a public hearing required under Texas law to present details about the proposed Frisco Center for the Arts and the two ballot measures the council placed on the May 3, 2025 ballot. The presentation reviewed concept design, a funding strategy that relies heavily on sales-tax economic-development buckets and pledged private philanthropy, and the city’s recently authorized letter of intent (LOI) with a nonprofit operator called Frisco Live.

The presentation — led by city staff and consultants from Theater Projects, Turner & Townsend Heery and Pelli Clark & Partners — described a project budget range of $300 million to $340 million and a conceptual facility with a roughly 2,800‑seat “large hall,” a roughly 400‑seat community hall and supporting spaces. The project team said the preferred general site is city Economic Development Corporation (EDC)‑owned land near U.S. 380 and the Dallas North Tollway; the immediate facility site is about 6.3 acres, with a potential day‑one surface parking area of roughly 13 acres and total EDC land anticipated for day‑one use near 19.3 acres.

Why it matters: The hearing was the statutorily required public disclosure of costs and impacts tied to Proposition A (an EDC purpose change to allow Type A/Economic Development Corporation sales tax funds to be used for certain community facilities) and Proposition B (authority for the council to issue debt for the project, not to exceed $160 million). Those ballot questions, city staff said, would not change property tax rates and would use sales‑tax‑derived funds rather than the general fund.

Funding and finances: City finance staff presented conservative revenue forecasts and a three‑bucket plan to fund up to a maximum of $160 million of city‑backed support across three sources: the EDC (half‑cent sales tax), the Community Development Corporation (CDC, also a half‑cent sales tax vehicle), and Tax Increment…