Frisco council sets May 3 vote on $300–$340 million Frisco Center for the Arts; council approves ballot language

Frisco City Council voted 5–1 on Tuesday to put two ballot measures before voters on May 3 that would authorize financing steps for the proposed Frisco Center for the Arts, a multi-venue performing arts facility the city and its partners have studied for several years.

The measures would (1) allow the Frisco Economic Development Corporation to use proceeds of its sales-and-use tax for the proposed Center for the Arts and (2) authorize the city to issue bonds in an amount not to exceed $160 million for a city-owned performing-arts facility. Council action on the ordinances calls a special election for May 3 to let qualified city voters decide whether to approve both items.

The vote follows a multihour presentation and discussion during which city consultants and project partners outlined the proposal: a Broadway-capable large hall of roughly 2,800 seats and a community hall of about 300–400 seats, a partnership agreement in development with Prosper Independent School District, and a capital plan that combines private philanthropy, school-district support and public…