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WANT TO GO' 'A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE Construction on Elm Street is planned to begin this spring as Frisco sets sights on kicking o its Downtown Master Plan. In the fall, work on Main Street and the Fourth Street Plaza is expected to begin.
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Finetuning City Council last approved major updates to the Downtown Master Plan on Oct. 16, 2018. Before that, the last update was in 1998. The approval included the Fourth StreetPlaza—adesigndistrict thatwould include several shops and restaurants— and other walkability improvements andmixed-use development plans. Two key changes are in the works since that last update, Brodigan said. In 2018, the update included plans to remove the median in the center of Main Street to make way for a center turn lane. Now, Brodigan said the plan is to keep the median, which he said should keep the city from having to close lanes during construction. In addition, a roundabout was pro- posed onMain Street at the intersection of Frisco Square Boulevard and Second Street. City o cials originally said it would help facilitate tra c ow and prevent a tra c buildup across the rail- road tracks. Plans for the roundabout have since been removed, according to Brodigan. “When we started really looking into the tra c operation of the roundabout, it wasn’t actually going to have as much improvement as we hoped into the tra c ow,” he said. “Actually, in some ways, it made some of the directions of travel worse.” Brodigan said updated plans are expected to be presented to City Coun- cil either in January or February. Tamika Bowen, owner of The Good Steward Consignment boutique on Main Street, said improvements to walkability and business facades in The Rail District would elevate the down- town area. Bowen said her business is
The removal of parking on Main Street would make way for wider, 18-foot sidewalks.
Current
Proposed
DESIGNED BY CHELSEA PETERS COMPILED BY MATT PAYNE
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A roundabout was originally planned on Main Street, but plans have been scrapped.
A renovation of Elm Street would include on-street parking and a new tra c signal at Fifth Street.
Main Street tra c is estimated at 23,095 cars per day.
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SOURCE: CITY OF FRISCO COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
A central plaza would sit on Fourth Street, according to Downtown Master Plan details. Amenities illustrated in this rendering could change, o cials said.
“That’s kind of with some of the details we still have to nish.” Bowen said on a good day, tra c on Main Street is “backed up.” She said that she anticipates many travelers will actively avoid the area once road- work is underway. Since Bowen purchased The Good Steward Consignment two and a half years ago, she said it is “100%” di - cult making ends meet in downtown Frisco. A member of The Rail District Merchants Association, Bowen said Frisco entrepreneurs have been work- ing to leverage the communal, rustic charm of downtown. Regardless, she said the COVID-19
RENDERING COURTESY CITY OF FRISCO
A‘one-twopunch’ Business owners in The Rail Dis- trict have expressed concerns over the potential for projects in the Downtown Master Plan occurring at the same time. Brodigan said construction on Elm and Main streets and the Fourth Street Plaza will overlap for a handful of months. Elm Street might see detours throughout construction, but no detours are expected onMain Street. “We’re still kind of working out exactly how the construction phasing is going to proceed,” Brodigan said.
fortunate to have a nearby park- ing lot for drivers to easily access the clothing store. Moreover, she said recently updated signage has boosted organic foot traf ic into The Good Steward Consignment. However, she said she anticipates hiccups once construction begins. “I think this construction is going to put a little bit of a pause and damper on that,” Bowen said. “But I’m really hoping that post all of the activity, improving the walkability will help make up for it.”
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