Frisco city leaders marked a long-awaited milestone Monday with a ceremonial groundbreaking for the first phase of Grand Park.
The 1,011-acre park will stretch from the Dallas North Tollway west to Lake Lewisville, and will be larger than Central Park in New York City. Phase I, known as the Civic Room, encompasses 58 acres south of Cotton Gin Road between the DNT and Legacy Drive.
Features include an amphitheater, shade structures and restrooms, an orchard, and the three-acre Arrowhead Pond.
Shannon Coates, director of Play Frisco, said, “You’re going to see the first water in Frisco – that’s part of the city’s park system — that’s activated for recreation.”
Coates noted residents and visitors will enjoy kayaking, paddleboarding, and walking around the pond. Grand Park aims to serve as a hub to “play, explore, discover and connect.”
Mayor Jeff Cheney called it Frisco’s “twenty-year overnight success story.” The 2006 park bonds, which envisioned the project, prompted Cheney to join the City Council in 2007 so his children and future grandchildren could benefit.
“We made it, finally!” Cheney exclaimed. “Today is more than a groundbreaking,” the mayor added. “Today is a true milestone in the future of Frisco.”
In a vision statement, the city described Grand Park as “a place where Frisco residents and its visitors can participate in active and passive play, explore nature, discover Frisco’s past, present, and future, and connect with family and community. It is a destination for fitness, wellness, respite, and activity that celebrates the diversity of Frisco’s culture and activates the curiosity and creativity of all who visit.”
Phase I construction costs $43 million, funded by bond proceeds and contributions from the Frisco Community Development Corporation. Cheney praised FCDC members for sharing the vision. The group reinvests sales tax revenue from visitors, businesses, and residents into community-enhancing initiatives.
“As a quality-of-life project, Grand Park will be unprecedented throughout our state and really throughout the nation,” said Chad Brubaker, FCDC president.
Lisa Kirby, chair of the Parks and Recreation Board, described it as “more than a destination,” adding, “It’s a defining step in building a park system that is connected, balanced and future-ready.”
The city opened the unpaved 2.2-mile Big Bluestem Trail in 2022 through natural parkland south to Stonebrook Parkway. That trail will close during Phase I work.
City staff expect Grand Park Phase I to open in October 2027. Completion of the entire 1,011-acre park will likely take decades, as The Dallas Express previously reported.
