With Drama Over Permits, What’s Next For Frisco’s Universal Studios Theme Park?

The last thing many people thought they’d see on their news feeds the morning of Jan. 11 was Universal Parks and Resorts was set to open a theme park in Frisco. 

But it was reality. 

“Frisco is one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. and has been recognized as a great place to plant professional roots and raise a family,” said Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney in a press release. “This new Universal concept will continue to enhance our tax base, expand employment opportunities and bring even more fun to Frisco benefiting our residents, businesses, and visitors.”

And it became even more real on March 7 when the city council approved the Special Use Permit for the project, clearing the way for Universal to begin plans for the near-100 acre plot at The Fields at the southwest corner of Panther Creek Parkway and Dallas North Tollway. 

The park is expected to be tailored for a younger audience, ideally between the ages of 3 and 9, and is just a quarter of the size of its theme parks in Orlando or Los Angeles. 

Not a Walk in The Park

While Universal and the city have been hoping people enjoy this park for decades, many residents voiced their displeasure with the plan. Many of the residents who spoke during the March 7 meeting had issues with the location of the park, traffic concerns, and needed more time and information from Universal. 

Brian Livingston was one of two Frisco City Council members who voted against approving SUPs on March 7.

“This is a great project,” Livingston said, “just, unfortunately it’s being put in the wrong place for me.” 

He added the neighboring Cobb Hill area will be greatly impacted, and fears it could turn into an investor or rental area. While this is not Universal’s intent, Livingston added that he “can’t support Universal going there.”

Laura Rummel was the other dissenting vote from the council. She requested the council table the decision on March 7 and wait for a contract between Universal and the city, ensuring they would make all concessions promised to the residents of Cobb Hill. 

In an interview with CandysDirt.com, Rummel said she still wishes the council tabled the decision but noted, “at some point, we do have to make decisions and move forward.” 

Frisco resident and business owner John Pavel, who spoke in opposition of the plan on March 7, said following the meeting that nobody knew of this plan until the Jan. 11 press conference. He added it was “thrown on us” in January and called the process “unprecedented” in how fast it went. 

“Do I think that we could have done this differently?” Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Angelia Pelham asked during the March 7 meeting. “Absolutely. Did we come forth in a manner that gave the impression that this was a conclusive decision and that this was a done deal? Perhaps. Lesson learned.”

Pelham added that the city attempted to “course correct” by hosting listening sessions with the residents. 

Frisco Universal Park Discussions

Despite the vote to approve the SUP coming less than two months after the public announcement, Rummel said this project was discussed “many months” before that. She noted the city’s economic development corporation had the initial conversations with Universal before it was passed on to the council. 

She said this is “regular protocol” and that it was Universal that reached out to the city. 

Rummel added this was never a “done deal” and the city is still working through the details surrounding the theme park. She added the impression that this was done in seven weeks is incorrect as items did not become public as soon as the council learned of it. 

Rummel said her initial reaction to the project was “nope” and that sentiment was shared amongst the council. However, the council softened its stance after learning the smaller scope and younger audience the theme park would target. 

“It has the potential to be a really good project,” she said, noting that is on the city council to continue the conversation with Universal to ensure standards are met.  

Cobb Hill Neighborhood Opposition

Pavel noted that many in the neighboring Cobb Hill neighborhood oppose the plan. Additionally, 95 of the 97 SUP project approval forms sent out by the city opposed the plan. He added the city could use more housing and believes home values in the Cobb Hill neighborhood will decline due to the park. 

“Who wants to live in a neighborhood that backs up to a theme park?” he said, adding a theme park will not benefit the City of Frisco. 

Rummel said the concerns from the Cobb Hill residents were very specific, and the city wants to ensure the neighborhood doesn’t become a free parking lot for Universal, or rideshare drivers use the neighborhood. 

One of the items Universal committed to constructing was a retaining wall separating the neighborhood from the theme park. Rummel said the Cobb Hill neighbors didn’t fully build a wall around the community, which works now because its only adjacent area is an open field. 

Rummel said “this is great now” but won’t be when it’ll neighbor a hotel and theme park. 

Pavel said “the residents of Frisco haven’t given up yet” and are potentially planning to gather enough signatures to block the theme park from moving forward. 

As far as next steps, Frisco city officials said that all developers determine when their plans are ready to submit to the City of Frisco for review. Such is the same for Universal.

Universal Parks and Resorts have not responded to requests for comment before publishing.