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Main Street business owners urge more targeted grants and reimbursements as construction continues
Summary
Multiple Main Street business owners and residents told the council construction has cut foot traffic and left some shops effectively inaccessible; speakers asked the city to prioritize grants and reimbursements and to ensure relief reaches long-standing, small businesses.
During the public-comment portion of the Dec. 2 council meeting, several Main Street business owners and long-time Frisco residents appealed for more targeted financial relief tied to ongoing Rail District and Main Street construction.
Robert Smith, a small-business owner, said he feels overlooked by redevelopment programs and described access problems that have reduced his customer traffic. "I feel like I got... looked over, bagged up, and shut out," he told the council, and said some city programs (for example, the gift-card platform) had not helped his new business.
Scott Hoffner said gift cards and marketing grants have helped some businesses begin to recover and urged council and staff to deploy additional grant dollars to the businesses most affected by construction. Paul Jessen said the scale of need could be in the millions and asked council to reconsider additional reimbursements for impacted businesses.
Former councilmember and longtime volunteer Tracy Shipman urged transparency in campaign and civic leadership. She said she received a cease-and-desist letter from attorney Stephen Noss in connection with election-related issues and asked certain candidates to amend campaign-finance reports to reflect any legal services received.
Resident Bill Woodard raised concerns about recent conduct on the dais—citing tardiness, the use of generative AI in preparing questions, and other behaviors—and urged council members to behave more professionally.
Council members acknowledged the comments and repeated support for small businesses; staff earlier in the meeting noted a package of grants and a digital gift-card program with matching funds that staff said had generated significant private purchases and some redemptions.
