Frisco residents attend first public hearing for proposed Universal Studios theme park
FRISCO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – A public hearing over a proposed Universal Studios theme park in Frisco brought a lot of concerned residents to city hall Tuesday night.
The meeting included some high profile names speaking out about the project.
An official with Universal Studios, the developer and the owner of FC Dallas were present, singing the praises of this global tourist attraction.
But they were outnumbered by residents who brought up new concerns they have about it.
Shanda Evans points to her family's experience living near Disneyland as a reason why a theme park in Frisco will cause problems.
"So we saw that firsthand we knew what the traffic looked like, we knew what the crime looked like, fun places to visit, but not wanted in your backyard," Evans said.
Evans and other Frisco residents were able to address city leaders for the first time about the proposed Universal Studios project during one of two public hearings.
"This project simply comes down to whether this project is really for our residents, or for our outsiders," one resident said.
Homeowners in an adjacent neighborhood say the park will not only create a traffic mess around them, but also strain first responders.
"And now you want to throw a theme park into the mix with children where there's going to be emergencies every single day," another resident said.
There are also questions about theme park visitors parking on residential streets and renting neighborhood homes.
"I worry about the Airbnb's that will pop up. We also have some of those near us now and I can only imagine it's going to get worse," one resident said.
But at least one resident expressed excitement about it. "I think this is just so cool, so amazing. I literally thought people were messing with me when I heard about it."
FC Dallas Owner Dan Hunt also expressed his excitement.
"I think back to my father, Lamar building World of Fun and Oceans of Fun theme parks in Kansas City and what that meant to the community and how that helped put Kansas City on the map," he said.
The city council has scheduled another public hearing on Feb. 21.