Frisco council directs $500,000 short‑term relief as Main Street businesses plead for help during downtown construction

Frisco City Council on Oct. 7 heard an extended stream of testimony from Main Street business owners and residents reporting steep revenue drops and blocked access during the Rail District redevelopment, then directed city staff to rapidly roll out a short‑term support package.

Dozens of speakers urged immediate action. Sarah Hamilton, a Maple Street resident who said she and other longtime downtown residents ‘‘pay the money to be in there’’ and that construction has made businesses feel ‘‘like Main Street is dead,’’ asked the council to ‘‘please consider how these businesses are suffering every single minute because the city is choosing to not do anything.’’ Scott (a restaurateur advocating a city buy‑gift‑card plan) proposed the city ‘‘immediately allocate funds to purchase digital gift cards from each business that has had a negative financial loss directly impacted by the Rail District redevelopment’’ and hold the cards until construction is complete, when the city would release them to attract customers back to downtown.

After the public comment period and a work session earlier the same day, Mayor Cheney told the council that staff had been given direction to craft a ‘‘multi‑tier plan.’’ He said, ‘‘The short term, we did, authorize city staff to work to get that $500,000 out, as quickly as possible,’’ describing the first tier as funds to be deployed through Dec. 31 for an expanded gift‑card program and marketing efforts coordinated with the downtown advisory board. Cheney added that the city is planning relaunch programming through the winter and additional promotional investment when the new plaza opens in June to help recapture customers.

Business speakers and residents provided numbers and examples to illustrate the urgency. One small‑business owner, cited in public comment, told council his monthly loss was ‘‘nearly $6,000 a month’’; speakers referenced an NBCDFW report and anecdotal declines of 30–50 percent in sales for some Main Street merchants, and multiple speakers said customers encountered blocked driveways or had to navigate around construction barriers and porta‑potties.

Councilmembers emphasized speed and local coordination. The mayor said staff should use the downtown advisory board to ‘‘roll up their sleeves’’ on implementation and increase marketing and signage to inform the public that businesses remain open. Council also discussed short‑term marketing, enhanced signage, targeted PR and a potential small business advisory committee as next steps to complement the $500,000 short‑term allocation.

What happens next: staff will work with the downtown advisory board to design the expanded gift‑card and marketing deployment to run through Dec. 31, with council expecting follow‑up briefings and additional relaunch planning for the months after the holidays and into the plaza opening next June.

Quotes from the meeting

"Why not go out to the whole city? Why not go out multiple times? Why not announce it ahead of time?" — Sarah Hamilton, Maple Street resident and downtown business supporter (public comment)

"This proposal will not only benefit the businesses, but will benefit the city as well. The city should immediately allocate funds to purchase digital gift cards from each business that has had a negative financial loss directly impacted by the Rail District redevelopment." — Scott (Main Street business owner; public comment)

"The short term, we did, authorize city staff to work to get that $500,000 out, as quickly as possible." — Mayor Cheney (council response)

Ending

Council directed staff to move quickly on the short‑term package and signaled additional programming and marketing to bring customers back to downtown in the months ahead; staff and the downtown advisory board will present implementation details to council in follow‑up meetings.