Public officials in Frisco, Texas, visited new urbanist

Public officials in Frisco, Texas, visited new urbanist town centers in nearby Addison and Plano, and decided their city needed something similar. A 140-acre site, which extends from Frisco’s historic downtown to the busy Dallas North Tollway, proved an excellent location. The city forged an agreement with developer Cole McDowell’s Five Star Development, who in turn hired David M. Schwarz/ Architectural Services to do a master plan. The Washington, DC, firm has an office in Fort Worth and has designed several neotraditional projects in Texas, including the retail and office center Southlake Town Center. Frisco Square will become the new downtown for a community that is projected to grow substantially over the next two decades. The plan includes a new city hall in the central public square, a library, courts, and municipal offices. The planned development district created for the site sets an upper limit for retail space at 695,000 square feet. Some apartments will be available in mixed-use buildings, but the bulk of Frisco Square’s approximately 400 residences will be concentrated on the southern half of the site. The approach to the architecture for the residential neighborhood is unique. Nine architectural firms will each design approximately five acres of the neighborhood and will collaborate with seven Dallas-area builders. The architects include Robert A. M. Stern Architects and Cooper Robertson & Partners, who worked on Celebration in Florida; Moore Ruble Yudell, who did early designs for Playa Vista in Los Angeles; and Krier-Kohl Architekten of Germany. “I’m really amazed at what Cole McDowell has been able to pull together,” says John Lettelleir, Frisco’s planning director. He adds that the project has had smooth sailing in the approval process. “Our planning commission and city council were very open and embraced the concept. That might have been because we have similar projects around here that they can take a look at,” he says. Frisco Square is scheduled to begin construction in the spring of 2001.