FRISCO — Frisco’s latest development project will bring a huge cast of superheroes, television stars and motion picture greats to Collin County.
Universal Parks & Resorts — the theme park arm of entertainment giant NBCUniversal — has bought a site on the Dallas North Tollway for a new, kids-focused park and hotel. The almost 100-acre planned entertainment hub will be located in the $10 billion Fields development.
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FRISCO — Frisco’s latest development project will bring a huge cast of superheroes, television stars and motion picture greats to Collin County.
Universal Parks & Resorts — the theme park arm of entertainment giant NBCUniversal — has bought a site on the Dallas North Tollway for a new, kids-focused park and hotel. The almost 100-acre planned entertainment hub will be located in the $10 billion Fields development.
Frisco officials and executives with Universal announced plans Wednesday for the groundbreaking new development after months of planning and negotiations. The Orlando-based company acquired the land for the theme park in December using a shell company based in Delaware, county records show.
The project will be designed to appeal to families, with immersive experiences making it a one- to two-day destination, said Mark Woodbury, chairman and CEO of Universal Parks and Resorts. The park will include four or five Universal-themed interactive experiences as well as a 300-room hotel.
“You have a fantastic town,” Woodbury said, describing Frisco. “It’s vibrant and full of energy and full of young families, which make it the perfect place for what we are doing.
“We have a portfolio of terrific attractions that appeals to young families around the world,” he said. “We had an idea to bring all those together and create a destination that is specially designed to appeal to families with young children. It will be a rich, rich experience for families to enjoy together — to create memories that will last a lifetime.”
Woodbury said the park attractions will be “built around a lush landscaped environment.”
Universal executives didn’t provide a timetable for the project. Property sale records indicate that the company plans to open the park in the next four years.
Mayor Jeff Cheney called it a “one-of-a-kind” project and said Universal considered sites around the globe.
“Families for generations to come will get to experience immersive environments with the stories they love,” he said. “They were looking not just anywhere in the country but someplace in the world to launch this.
“They decided North Texas would be a good fit,” Cheney said. “All of you can see why they chose Frisco — Frisco is known for being family-friendly.”
Unlike Universal Studios’ sprawling parks in Orlando, Los Angeles and abroad, the Frisco development will be a much smaller attraction.
“The park is roughly a quarter of size of our big parks in Orlando,” Universal Parks’ president of new ventures Page Thompson said. “It’s full of family-friendly attractions, interactive and playful shows.
“You’ll have meet and greets with all of our beloved Universal characters.”
The project at the northeast corner of the tollway and Panther Creek Parkway will also include retail stores and restaurants, according to the agreement with Fields developers.
Frisco officials teased the project on Tuesday as a “major economic and tourism development” when they sent out invitations to Wednesday’s press conference.
Plans for the Frisco Universal theme park come after decades of speculation that entertainment companies including Disney were scouting North Texas for a theme park.
The Frisco Universal park will join the PGA of America’s new golfing resort as major attractions in the Fields community, which has been in the works for four years.
The Frisco Fields development, which stretches between Preston Road and U.S. Highway 380, is planned to include as many as 14,000 homes and apartments plus commercial space. Developers Karahan Cos. and Hunt Realty are building the Fields community in partnership with investors Chief Partners and Crosstie Capital.
A part of the Comcast entertainment conglomerate, NBCUniversal is best known for its television programming and box office hit movies. The company’s theme park business generates billions of dollars a year in revenue from its signature properties in Florida, California, Asia and Spain.
The huge Universal Orlando Resort draws more than 10 million visitors a year. The Orlando park has more than five times the amount of acreage than what’s planned in Frisco.
Universal Orlando showcases attractions based on popular motion pictures including Harry Potter, E.T., Minions and The Mummy. There are resort hotels, restaurants, stores — and, of course, thrill rides.
Universal’s theme park business employs tens of thousands of people worldwide.
The Universal Studios theme park in Frisco will occupy land that was previously planned for mixed-use construction.
“This is another huge thing for both our project and Frisco,” Fields developer Fehmi Karahan said.
Frisco’s city council has scheduled a Wednesday night meeting to talk to homeowners about the planned development. It will be held at the Trent Middle School just south of the Fields development.
“Of course our planning and zoning still has some work to do on this project,” Cheney said.
