Frisco Residents Attend First Public Hearing on Universal Studios Theme Park Project

FRISCO, TX (CBSDFW.COM) — A public hearing on a proposed Universal Studios theme park in Frisco brought many interested residents to City Hall on Tuesday evening.

The meeting was attended by some dignitaries talking about the project.

A representative from Universal Studios, the developer and owner of the Dallas Football Club, was in attendance, praising this global tourist attraction.

But there were more of them than residents who expressed new concerns about this.

Shanda Evans points out that her family lived near Disneyland as the reason why a theme park in Frisco would cause problems.

“So we saw that we knew first hand what traffic looked like, we knew what crime looked like, interesting places to visit but not needed in your backyard,” Evans said.

Evans and other Frisco residents were able to first approach city officials about the proposed Universal Studios project during one of two public hearings.

“This project just comes down to whether this project is really for our residents or our outsiders,” one resident said.

Homeowners in the neighborhood say the park will not only create traffic clutter around them, but also tire first responders.

“And now you want to add a theme park with kids to the mix, where every single day there will be emergencies,” said another resident.

There are also questions about parking theme park visitors on residential streets and renting homes in the neighborhood.

“I’m worried about Airbnb coming up. We now have some of them, and I can only imagine that the situation will get worse,” said one of the residents.

But at least one resident expressed concern about the matter. “I think it’s so cool, so amazing. When I heard about it, I literally thought people were bullying me.”

FC Dallas owner Dan Hunt also expressed his excitement.

“I remember my father, Lamar, building the World of Fun and Oceans of Fun theme parks in Kansas City and what that meant to the community and how it helped make Kansas City famous,” he said.

The City Council has scheduled another public hearing for February 21.