Construction begins on Universal Kids Resort in Frisco
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Frisco could look like this pretty soon. Illustration: Courtesy of NBCUniversal
Construction is underway on Universal Kids Resort in Frisco, Universal Destinations & Experiences' first theme park dedicated to families with young children.
Why it matters: The Universal theme park fits in with Frisco's branding as a burgeoning sports and entertainment town. The city is already home to the Texas Rangers Double-A affiliate Frisco RoughRiders, FC Dallas' Toyota Stadium, the Dallas Cowboys practice facility at The Star and the Omni PGA Resort.
- About 7 million people visit Frisco every year. Mayor Jeff Cheney expects the addition of the Universal Kids Resort will push that number up to 10 million.
Driving the news: Frisco city leaders and Universal executives shared the logo and a construction update at a news conference Friday.
- Crews broke ground last month.
Catch up fast: The plans for a family-oriented resort were announced in January. Some residents complained during public zoning hearings that the park could cause traffic congestion and seemed geared for visitors and not residents.
- The Frisco City Council approved the zoning for the theme park in March.
- The city and its development corporations will give $12.7 million in economic incentives to Universal for the completion of the project.
Details: The park will take up less than half of Universal's 97-acre site off the Dallas North Tollway at Panther Creek Parkway.
- The site will have a 300-room hotel and more than 4,000 parking spaces.
The intrigue: Universal executives said they looked nationwide and internationally before choosing Frisco as the location for their child-oriented park.
- They pointed to the size of the region and Frisco's current tourist draw as the reason. Plus, the rapidly growing Dallas-Fort Worth metro area is in between the company's parks in Orlando and Hollywood.
By the numbers: Frisco expects to receive $3 million in property and sales tax revenues every year from the park.
- Universal expects to hire 175 full-time employees and 1,400 seasonal and part-time workers.
- Universal execs wouldn't divulge the cost of the project, but Frisco expects the company to invest at least $550 million for construction.
What's next: City records show the park should open no later than June 30, 2026.
- Universal executives said they will release more details over time about the themes of the "immersive" lands throughout the resort. We expect there will be a lot of minions.
Editor's note: We've corrected the name of the unit that will operate the Universal Kids Resort in Frisco, to Universal Destinations & Experiences.