City leaders past and present joined residents and city staff at a recent groundbreaking for Frisco’s Grand Park, which will ultimately span 1,000 acres from the Dallas North Tollway west to Lake Lewisville. 

“We made it, finally!” Mayor Jeff Cheney said at the groundbreaking. “Today is more than a groundbreaking. Today is a true milestone in the future of Frisco.”

Phase I of Grand Park is called The Civic Room, covering 58 acres south of Cotton Gin Road between DNT and Legacy Drive. The Civic Room will include an amphitheater, shade structures, restrooms, an orchard, and the three-acre Arrowhead Pond.

An amphitheater at Grand Park will host live events. [Video still: City of Frisco]

Shannon Coates, director of Play Frisco, said that Arrowhead Pond will be the first water attraction in the city’s park system that’s “activated for recreation.” 

Visitors to Grand Park can kayak, paddle board, and take leisurely walks around the water. Grand Park will be a gathering place where people can “play, explore, discover and connect,” Coates added in a statement.

Park called a ’20-year overnight success story’

Grand Park in Frisco. [Video still: City of Frisco]

Calling the park Frisco’s “20-year overnight success story,” Cheney shared the story about how the vision of Grand Park and passage of 2006 park bonds inspired him to run for city council in 2007. He said he wanted to work on a project his children and future grandchildren could enjoy.

Construction cost for Grand Park Phase I is about $43 million and includes bond monies and contributions from the Frisco Community Development Corporation (FCDC). 

Cheney honored members of the FCDC, past and present, who shared city leaders’ vision for the project. The FCDC’s role is to reinvest sales tax dollars generated by visitors, businesses, and residents back into projects which strengthen the community and improve everyday life

Rendering of Grand Park in Frisco. [Video still: City of Frisco]

“As a quality-of-life project, Grand Park will be unprecedented throughout our state and really throughout the nation,” Chad Brubaker, President, FCDC.

Parks and Recreation Board members said they have also waited for years for this legacy project.

“This is more than a destination,” said Lisa Kirby, chair of Frisco’s Parks & Recreation Board. “It’s a defining step in building a park system that is connected, balanced and future ready.”

Timeline and construction impacts

A sign at Grand Park in Frisco. [Video still: City of Frisco]

In 2022, the City of Frisco celebrated the opening of the Big Bluestem Trail, an unpaved 2.2- mile trail that winds its way through the natural park land south to Stonebrook Parkway.

During construction of Grand Park Phase I, the Big Bluestem Trail will be closed for construction.

City staff expects Grand Park Phase I to open in October 2027.

“Grand Park will be a visual representation of who we are as a city, an aspirational city,” Cheney said.

Don’t miss what’s next. Subscribe to Dallas Innovates.

Track Dallas-Fort Worth’s business and innovation landscape with our curated news in your inbox Tuesday-Thursday.