UPDATE: 12:17, Wednesday, January 11: Mark Woodbury, Chairman and CEO of Universal Parks and Resorts, said at a press conference on Wednesday that the Universal Studios theme park coming to Frisco will have four to five themed areas with interactive entertainment aimed at families. There will also be a hotel with 300 rooms.
Paige Thompson, president of new ventures at Universal Studios, said the hotel will have themes featuring popular Universal Studios characters.
“It’s part of our culture to be an involved part of the community and we’re excited to have the opportunity to do that here in Frisco while we’re putting together something truly exceptional,” Woodbury said.
Rendering of the Universal Studios park.
Courtesy of Universal Parks & ResortsThese characters range from minions to kung fu pandas, and more recently Super Mario Bros. Page did not specify which characters would be in the park and hotel.
Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney says he is “in favor of creating a Nintendo-style land.” The timing of the project was not provided.
UPDATE: 11:38, Wednesday, January 11: According to the Dallas Morning News, a Universal Studios theme park is coming to Frisco. City officials were preparing to make an announcement Wednesday night, January 11, but the Dallas Morning News reports that Universal Studios has bought land in Frisco for a children’s theme park and hotel.
The 100-acre entertainment center will be built right off the Dallas North Tollway and designed with families in mind to create an interactive one-to-two-day experience, Universal Parks and Resorts Chairman and CEO Mark Woodbury said. Statement to the Dallas Morning News.
The original story continues below.
Public records seem to point to huge development in Frisco, North Texas, as the site of a possible theme park project that already bans advertising in the area from competitors like Disney and Six Flags. Frisco officials are set to announce “significant economic and tourism developments” on Wednesday, January 11, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Public records point to a portion of a 2,500-acre site called Frisco Fields along the Dallas North Toll Road that was recently sold to a Delaware shell company called FTNV Corp. There are no details about the owner of the company, Dallas Morning. The news is reported, but the sale documents call for the construction of a theme park.
A prominent detail in the documents is a provision banning advertising from potential competitors such as Walt Disney Co., Six Flags Entertainment Corp. from Arlington, Merlin/Legoland, SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment Inc. and Great Wolf Resorts Inc.
Missing from this list are Universal Studios and Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., which acquired Schlitterbahn Waterparks in Galveston and New Braunfels in 2019. Jody Lurie, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, told the Dallas Morning News that the ad ban “makes sense” to make sure the project survives.
The Dallas Morning News reports that the size of the land is not suitable for a Disney or Six Flags theme park. The Frisco City Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission will announce more details at a special meeting on Wednesday at 6:45 pm.
