Frisco residents remain conflicted about proposed Universal Studios theme park
FRISCO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – One of the biggest entertainment attractions coming to North Texas is facing some resistance from homeowners in Frisco.
A proposed Universal Studios theme park plans to join a neighborhood that's not sure it's ready for all that comes with being next to a global tourist attraction.
On Saturday, residents will sit down with the project's developers at the Collin College campus in Frisco.
The meeting is being billed as a casual meet and greet.
Some Frisco homeowners have already made formal demands and threatened legal action to stop the proposed Universal Studios theme park unless they get assurances it won't disrupt their neighborhoods.
Mark Massey and his family live less than a mile away from the proposed location.
But with two young kids, the thought of having Universal Studios build a theme park nearby is right up their alley.
"Just the energy, I think it will energize this community," Massey said. "For Frisco it will put them on the map too... I think that will be exciting."
The project would cover 97 acres starting out and include a 300 room resort hotel.
"I think it would be a great economic punch for the city," one resident said.
Most residents who live in the Cobb Hill subdivision just to the south are OK with the plans but worry about how it will change the area where they live.
"We have a tight-knit group of people in this neighborhood," said Frisco resident Krissie Smith. "A lot of us have been here since building including myself, and my family being one of them. It's just been a nice quiet, peaceful area where we can raise our families."
Smith and other longtime homeowners expect the City of Frisco and Universal Parks and Resorts to make sure traffic stays away from their neighborhood or possibly pay the costs of turning it into a gated community.
"Number one would be safety, number two traffic, and number three, we want to keep this exciting place to live," Smith said.
The City of Frisco insists that traffic studies and design plans show the theme park will draw no more traffic than a mixed use development.
The park is scheduled to open in 2025 – so concerned homeowners and Universal still have a lot of time to warm up to each other.