Frisco Office Construction Growing To Meet The Need
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FRISCO (CBSDFW.COM) – The city isn't just building out. It's building up too. Monday's groundbreaking of the tallest office building in Frisco is just one of many to come. With more high-rise development comes new concerns about traffic and other potential problems.
At one time an eight-story building at Hall Park was the tallest office tower in Frisco. It will soon be eclipsed by a new 12-story building, and both are in the shadow of the Cowboys' 16-story Omni Hotel. The Star marks the southern border of the so-called $5-billion mile, and a lot of planning has gone into stopping it from all growing out of control.
Craig Hall's 162-acre office park has set the stage for massive development, and the 2.2 million square feet of office space he already offers just isn't enough. Another $5-billion worth of development is already planned just north.
"We intend to build every year until we run out of land to build on," Hall said.
Hall has been developing his sprawling campus since the late nineties. His newest 12-story project will reach new heights for Frisco office buildings.
"When we built our four-story building, it was the tallest office building. When we built our six-story, it was the tallest office building, so it's not hard to have that source of pride," Hall said.
Over the next few years Frisco will become home to several large-scale developments. To the north, The Star is already leasing new office space. Construction is also underway next door at Frisco Station, and Wade Park and The Gate will combine to offer millions of new square feet of office space.
"Clearly the market's driving it, and it's one of the most dynamic growth sectors in the country," Frisco Mayor Maher Maso said. He insists the city is fully prepared to handle the growth.
"It would be a disaster if we didn't know where we're going. Frisco is about 157,000 people today. Our build-out is 375,000. We know what the city looks like at build-out," Maso said.
The mayor admits traffic is a growing problem throughout north Texas, but he says in addition to the expansion of the Dallas North Tollway, the density of construction along the $5 billion mile can actually help in its design.
"People now are choosing to live on site. They're choosing to work where they live, and that helps. It helps tremendously," Maso said.
While the four projects are built along the $5 billion mile to the north, Hall tells us he hopes to double the amount of space offered at Hall Park over the next 10 to 15 years.
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