Frisco Planning & Zoning

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P&Z October 22, 2024

North Frisco

• 1,200-Unit Mixed-use | SWC of Mahard Pkwy & University Dr | Postponed

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Champions Frisco SWC of Mahard Pkwy & University Dr

North Frisco | 80.1 Acres | 1,200 Units | Postponed

RISE Commercial’s Champions Frisco rezoning aims to transform an unbuilt mall development into a new mixed-use product while maintaining its entitled 1,200 residential units.

The site was approved in 2018 for the "Lesso Mall Development." While the current entitlements allow for 1,200 units, the specific Lesso Mall deal never happened because the developer sold the property.

The key shift is in how those units get built: The current Lesso Mall zoning requires nearly one million square feet of retail, 100,000 square feet of office, and specific infrastructure before any residential permits. The new "Earn-Out" proposal allows 350 units after completing 100,000 square feet of Class A office, with remaining units earned at a 1:1,000 ratio with commercial development.

• The timing intersects with TxDOT's plans to expand US 380 into a freeway, with letting planned for 2026. The development's traffic impact - 1,300 morning peak/1,700 evening peak external trips - represents half the traffic projected under the previous mall plan.

• Staff and RISE Commercial appear to disagree on the minimum height requirement for office buildings - staff wants 7 stories minimum while the developer argues anything above 4 stories would make the project "financially prohibitive."

  • Note: The residential component maintains high-rise requirements: seven-story minimum, concrete/steel construction, and 100% structured parking.

• Fire Department Input: There's an ongoing discussion about moveable seating in fire lanes - while the applicant claims to have removed it, staff notes there are still instances where it appears in the exhibits.

A central tension in the rezoning centers on office building heights. Staff insists on seven-story minimum office buildings, while the developer argues four stories is the financial ceiling. This dispute, along with open space requirements (staff wants 6.92 acres specified versus developer's "no less than 10%" language) and fire lane seating issues, prompted the October rezoning hearing to be tabled to January 28, 2025. There was no discussion from the P&Z Commissioners.

The project sits between two other mixed-use deals currently under construction (Firefly Park and The Link), suggesting a coordinated transformation of this US 380 section into an urban corridor once the freeway conversion is complete.

Developer/Owner: RISE Commercial, Shiva Kondru Phone: (972) 679-1918 Email: [email protected]

Staff Report: Z24-0002 SR

Project Plans: Z24-0002 Plan

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