FRISCO — Representatives from Universal Parks & Resorts, now known as Universal Destinations & Experiences (UDE), verbally committed to building a wall to separate the Cobb Hill neighborhood from the newly approved theme park.
During the Frisco City Council meeting Tuesday, which resulted in a 4-2 vote for approval, John McReynolds, senior vice president of UDE, said, “on the record, yes” in regards to building a wall separating the theme park and Cobb Hill.
The homeowner association would be responsible for maintaining the wall once it has been built.
The wall promise was made by McReynolds, but council members and Mayor Jeff Cheney promised residents that it would hold Universal accountable just as the residents would hold the city council accountable, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
“While the city is not technically involved with this, as this is a future agreement with Universal and the neighborhood, we just want to have it on the record. We know Universal is going to be a great partner with the City of Frisco and is going to deliver on this promise,” Cheney said during the meeting.
The promise is that the wall would be built as an extension of an existing wall at King George Lane while maintaining a small rod-iron fence adjacent to the entrance of east King George Lane, according to The Dallas Morning News. The wall is meant to be completed within 60 days of work commencing on the site.
Crime and traffic were huge reasons the theme park building had many detractors from the Frisco community, especially those living in the Cobb Hill neighborhood, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Members of the council, as well as representatives from Universal, made themselves available to the public in order to try and ease some of their concerns prior to Tuesday’s vote.
Angelia Pelham, deputy mayor pro tem, said Tuesday during the meeting that approving the park had been a “tough mental conversation” but did issue a warning to the representatives from Universal.
“I ask that you keep your word,” she said. “If you don’t keep your word, we will remember … make this a win-win for the city of Frisco.”
Prior to voting to approve, Pelham said that she has to “do what’s right from the perspective of how the city of Frisco will benefit” and that the comparisons between crime in Orlando, Florida, made by some detractors, were not a fair comparison.
She said she felt that the City of Frisco had a “great degree of comfort that we’re not going to see the same criminal activity.”
The Frisco police chief also said he was not concerned by the building of the park.