Major Milestone For New Dallas Cowboys Headquarters In Frisco
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FRISCO (CBSDFW.COM) - A major milestone has been reached in Frisco. Construction on the new World Headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys and Frisco Multi-Use Special Event Center (MUEC) has reached the halfway point.
While there's still a lot of work to do, there's been a lot of progress made in the last 11 months and the facility is starting to take shape.
Currently, there are only seven cranes working at the project, that's down from nine.
The site has been named 'The Star' and includes the Cowboys world corporate headquarters and a 12,000-seat multi-use event center. The two facilities anchor a 91-acre mixed-use development that will eventually include a hotel, office buildings, and retail space.
The project represents a partnership between the Dallas Cowboys, the City of Frisco, and the Frisco Independent School District. Both Frisco Mayor Maher Maso and ISD Superintendent Dr. Jeremy Lyon were on hand to mark the halfway point for construction.
"The City of Frisco is very excited about this project," Maso said. "It has created many more offshoots, what I call offshoots, business partners talking to us about locating here."
Some residents, like Ellen Brennan who lives and works nearby, worry about added congestion, but she also sees an upside. "I'm kind of a country girl, so for me it's not ideal, but it is bringing a lot of development and a lot of great restaurants and exciting things to do in the area."
City leaders promise The Star will be open to the community. Dr. Lyon says he couldn't decide which high school team would get to play the first game at The Star. "How about an all day celebration extravaganza where we have eight high school teams in Frisco playing one another on that opening week, and that's the kind of enthusiasm and support and excitement that The Star is generating in our community."
The city leaders said they are looking forward to the point when local student athletes will be able to use the same football fields as their heroes, something Cowboys COO Stephen Jones says is important to the team.
"It really gives me Goosebumps to think about what's going to happen when these kids rub shoulders out here with the Dallas Cowboys… when they're walking off the field and Tony Romo is walking on," Jones said smiling. "I really think we can make a difference in some of these kids' lives."
Mayor Maso says The Star has become a magnet for additional development in the surrounding area that has been dubbed the $5 billion mile.
The Mayor also said that despite record rainfall this Spring, construction is continuing around the clock to keep the project on schedule for a Fall 2016 opening.
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