International developer submits plans for retail, residential, office space in Frisco
Frisco's commercial construction boom could continue with a new shopping mall, office towers, apartments and a hotel at a high-profile site under plans for a major development submitted to the city for preliminary approval this week.
Hong Kong-based China Lesso Group's U.S. subsidiary is seeking the go-ahead from the Frisco Planning and Zoning Commission to build a 77-acre employment and entertainment district south of U.S. 380 and west of the Dallas North Tollway, according to documents submitted to the city.
The expansive mixed-use development on Frisco’s northern boundary would have as its main component a multi-level, enclosed shopping center on top of a multi-story parking structure, according to a project summary prepared by Frisco city planners for a zoning case scheduled for consideration Tuesday evening. Show Full Story
Plans call for a “lifestyle pedestrian street with retail uses on the first floor” bisecting the enclosed shopping center, and additional "retail, office, hotel and urban living residential with open space interspersed in the development," the filing says.
The architecture of the property, by design firm Gensler, will be “modern, with details consisting smooth finishes, a high detail in glazing techniques, and many contours in the building shape," the summary says.
Plans call for the project to be built in phases around a large open space, with buildings in the 18-story range. The multi-level shopping mall would be the center of the project.
Lesso proposes three sub-districts:
Frontage district — Located along U.S. 380, this sub-district would consist of retail, hotel and office space, but no residential.
Lifestyle district — This is proposed to contain most of the retail uses with one urban living tower at a minimum building height of 18 stories.
Southern district — This sub-district would contain most of the apartments, as well as office, hotel and a small amount of retail space. Buildings will front several open space pockets.
Lesso’s plans for the area comply with Frisco’s land-use plan for the property, which calls for 70 percent commercial uses and 30 percent residential, according to city planners. Lesso’s request for 1,200 apartment units also falls within a city policy limiting urban living units to 55 per acre.
Plans for the open space include ponds, sculptures, waterfalls, hike-and-bike trails and outdoor dining.
“The development creates a people-centric environment by combining retail, restaurant, office, hotel and restaurant,” according to city planning staff comments contained in the packet to be voted on by planning and zoning commissioners. “The applicant has worked with staff to take a typical suburban land use and incorporate it within a complete mixed-use development that combines human-scaled architecture with an engaging streetscape.”
Lesso America has owned the site of the proposed development for about two years.
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