Developer Kyle Wilks acknowledges that it’s hard to be patient sometimes — especially with something that will shine like this.
His firm, Wilks Development, purchased a plot of land in Frisco near the Dallas North Tollway and U.S. 380 in 2015.
The PGA of America hadn’t yet announced it would move its headquarters to Frisco. Wilks didn’t know there would be the construction of championship golf courses and the homes that surround the area.
Universal Destinations & Experiences was years from announcing that it would build a theme park and resort not far from his land. Other projects that Wilks had no knowledge of would blossom in the corridor too.
But he could see the path of growth, and the bet paid off.
His company owns 159 acres of the 217-acre, master-planned Firefly Park project at one of the most desirable corners in all North Texas. It’s like striking oil.
“We are the most fortunate group,” he said.
At full-build out, the development will include more than 3 million square feet of Class A office space, 400,000 square feet of retail and entertainment, 1,200 hotel rooms, 230 townhomes and 1,970 apartments.
All of it centered around a 45-acre park that Wilks calls the “soul” of the project. He estimates the completed project could cost anywhere from $2.5 billion to $4 billion.
But it’s not always been an easy path, and there is still much work to be done. Crews work feverishly with large machinery. It’s all just dirt and holes right now.
Wilks said he must be patient.
“Some people will call it a meat grinder. I would call it more like (those) little rock (polishing) machines. …They polish but it takes a while,” Wilks said from behind the steering wheel of an off-road vehicle he uses to get around the site. “When I was a kid, I always wanted to get the rocks out too fast, (but) when you get it, you’ve got something that’s really cool and really beautiful and it’s worth the wait.”
What’s going on at Firefly Park?
The Firefly Park project cleared another smaller hurdle this month, receiving approval for three sets of site plans from the Frisco Planning and Zoning Commission.
At times over the last several years, Wilks wondered if this project would even happen.
It started not long after Jeff Cheney was elected Frisco’s mayor in 2017. In the first few months of his term, he met with Wilks about the project, and it didn’t go well.
Early plans ignored the 45-acre floodplain that ran through the middle of the property. Apartments and other commercial properties turned their backs to the large swath of open space.
Cheney was not pleased. He threw the whole plan in the trash can. That floodplain — which will now be the park — had to be the centerpiece. It had to be the golden thread.
Cheney wanted to make a point. He wanted Frisco to win the “battle” over development along U.S. 380, and this project would be a signature piece. It’s a gem property, he said.
“It was sending a statement that this piece of property has been such an important part of our long-term visioning,” Cheney said. “I was telling him that unless he corrected those things it’s something the city of Frisco would never sign off on.”
Wilks got to work. He hired new consultants and brought in Dutch firm UNStudio to give the development that walkable, welcoming feel.
Then came what Wilks called the “greatest landscape architect on the planet,” — Boston-based Sasaki. Other members of the new team also included Dallas-based firms BOKA Powell and Kimley-Horn and Baltimore’s Hord Coplan Macht.
City leaders gave constant feedback on the plans over the next several years.
Zoning for the project was initially approved in 2022, and Wilks reached an agreement with Frisco’s Economic Development Corporation in April to push the first phase along.
“We went through the process because we wanted the right plan not the right now plan,” Wilks said.
The first phase and the waiting
Phase 1, currently under construction, is slated to be finished in 2027.
The phase will include the entire 45-acre park as well as a wedding chapel/event space surrounded by water and a 3,000-guest amphitheater.
Wilks said it will also include a 251-unit residential high-rise that could reach 19 stories. Roughly 28,000 square feet of retail will sit below. The 198-unit, six-story midrise, 191-room Dream Hotel, 150,000 square feet of office space, and an additional 120,000 square feet of retail space will also be included.
The 230 townhomes will be built in the first phase. Each unit could go for $1.5 million, Wilks said.
Much of it sits along Fiberglass Way, the project’s main thoroughfare.
The initial infrastructure work began a few months ago. Frisco’s Economic Development Corp. will work with Wilks Development on streets, roads, water lines, drainage, utilities, and other public infrastructure needs.
Wilks showed off the early stages as he drove around the site, over dirt that pavement may soon cover. Some spots even have the curbs already cut out.
Upon completion, Mahard Parkway will be built out to a divided four-lane boulevard that connects PGA Parkway to U.S. 380.
The estimated construction cost for the first phase’s network of roads is $25 million, according to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
Phase two is expected to include more apartments, office, retail and restaurant space, Wilks said.
The Frisco EDC owns nearly 60 acres at the site, including a 19-acre plot that Wilks calls the “best” in all of North Texas.
That square of land sits right at the corner of PGA Parkway and U.S. 380. It could be the perfect site for a Fortune 500 relocation, Wilks said.
One of the project features that Wilks is most proud of calls back to his small-town Texas roots.
A structure resembling a water cistern will be near planned retail and restaurant spaces. A long funnel runs from the towering cistern and dumps water into a recirculating set of small ponds down below.
It’s meant to catch the eye.
“It’s all lit up at night so it shines up. It’s really sparkly,” Wilks said.
Wilks estimates the full project could be finished in 10 years. But now he waits.
The heavy machines clear, clean and polish the land for the towers to come. He must wait for the gem.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said. “I wake up every day and that project is in the front of my mind. You go to work making sure that that machine continues to polish knowing one day you’ll be rewarded for your efforts.”
