Frisco Council approves 98-acre warehouse expansion along SH 121, despite neighborhood opposition

Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney and a 4–2 City Council majority approved East Group Properties’ expanded warehouse and office distribution campus along State Highway 121, moving the project from an earlier roughly 28‑acre plan to a 98.1‑acre proposal and overriding a petition of more than 2,000 neighbors. The council action rescinded an earlier special‑use permit and adopted the revised SUP during the March 3 meeting.

The Planning and Zoning Commission had recommended the larger SUP on Feb. 10 by a 4–1 vote after a packed public hearing, and it asked East Group to meet with the nearby neighborhood before City Council review. City staff described the plan as 11 buildings totaling just over 1,200,000 square feet, with internalized truck docks, a landscape plan featuring a double row of canopy trees and 10.89 acres of open space. Jonathan Hubbard of development services told the commission staff had reviewed drainage, traffic and zoning conformance and recommended approval subject to the SUP exhibits.

Neighbors, neighborhood attorneys and public speakers pressed for delay and detailed technical review during both the P&Z hearing and the council meeting. Speakers raised concerns about heavy truck traffic near elementary schools, traffic impacts, noise, light and air quality, and many homeowners said they learned of the expanded proposal only days earlier. One speaker told the council, "We support the original zoning, we don't support this industrial deviation."

Attorney Chris Bowers, representing adjacent landowners, told the commission the new plans "do not show either the detention area or the open space area" that appeared on earlier approvals and asked officials to hold the item until those inconsistencies were resolved. A petition submitted to the council was described as having "over 2000 people" with questions, a point Councilman Burt Thakur repeated: "Over 2000 people have questions that need to be answered."

Debate on council included calls to slow the process. Councilman Jared Elad urged delay, asking, "What's the rush? Let's table it for now." Mayor Jeff Cheney signaled support for the development, saying, "I do think it is a good use for the site." The record available from the meetings does not list which four councilmembers voted yes and which two voted no beyond those quoted comments.

Council approval does not end the procedural path: officials and media reports note the development still faces additional approval steps before construction can proceed. With P&Z urging neighborhood meetings, staff tying approval to SUP exhibits and attorneys flagging missing detention and open‑space details, neighbors and city staff will next watch for the revised exhibits, any supplemental traffic or drainage documentation and the remaining approvals required to move the project forward.