The newest theme park that Universal Parks and Resorts will operate will be constructed in Frisco, Texas, on a piece of land that is part of a larger development that will encompass 2,500 acres and include the future home of the PGA of America, as well as two golf courses, a campus for the University of North Texas, and thousands of homes. But why did Universal Parks choose a suburb located about half an hour to the north of Dallas for the location of its new micro-park?
“Frisco has built itself a brand that is recognized now across the country, with projects like The Star and PGA Frisco and those types of things. And this is one that actually they approached us about the project,” Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney said. “They were looking to be in this market and, I know, had kind of searched different sites in adjacent cities, and kept hearing the buzz of Frisco and decided that this is where they wanted to be.”
The park will be on 97 acres at the Dallas North Tollway and the Panther Creek Parkway crossroads. It will cater to children aged 3 to 11 years old. Its footprint is significantly less than Universal Orlando’s and slightly smaller than Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington.
“I’m not really surprised that they have decided to take advantage of a theme park industry trend known as micro parks,” theme park expert and journalist Carly Caramanna said. “These are basically smaller-sized footprint parks. They’re not like these mega parks we’re used to. They are intended for a regional audience and they kind of satisfy both needs from a consumer angle and for these major companies.”
Frisco provided Universal with a performance-based economic incentive package worth 12.7 million dollars. According to the city, these incentives consist of tax reimbursements for materials delivered over a period of twenty years totaling $2 million and grants totaling $10.7 million to be used for infrastructure improvements, including roads and utilities.
Plano Texas News tweeted that Texas Wants to Know: How Did Universal Pick Frisco for its New Theme Park? You can check below:
Texas Wants to Know: How Did Universal Pick Frisco for its New Theme Park? https://t.co/L0R5Nf6TjG pic.twitter.com/kjkICeB78L
— Plano Texas News (@PlanoTexasNews) April 8, 2023
According to James Harrington, an associate professor of public and nonprofit administration at the University of Texas at Dallas, the park is a continuation of the northern development of the North Texas region, including passing the CHIPS Act last year. There is optimism that Sherman will benefit economically from the passage of that piece of legislation. You can check about Kid Hero Award Recognition For Uvalde Student Survivors.
“We’re going to see a lot of jobs, high tech jobs come into Sherman, which is going to expand that growth up from McKinney through Anna, Melissa, Van Alstyne to Sherman. So we’re going to see that,” Harrington said. “And we also just see the tremendous growth that’s happening within Collin County with Toyota headquarters coming into Plano. We’re seeing large investments, in entertainment such as The Star in Frisco, the PGA resort, and Universal Studios. So I think it’s going to continue this growth.”
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