Frisco’s $3 billion The Mix development begins taking shape

Drivers at Dallas Parkway and Lebanon Road are starting to see more than a long-familiar excavation. After years of waiting, The Mix is moving from promise to pavement, and the first phase is expected to bring Frisco its first Whole Foods Market, new retail, office space and the structured parking needed to make the district work.

The 112-acre project sits on one of the city’s most visible corners, where the old Wade Park site once became known as the “hole by the tollway.” Frisco City Council approved a Master Development Agreement for The Mix on Oct. 15, 2024, and city officials said the deal opened the door for construction by providing up to $113.4 million in performance-based grants from the City of Frisco, the Frisco Economic Development Corporation and the Frisco Community Development Corporation. The support is tied to Phase 1 infrastructure, including property remediation and an underground parking garage.

For residents, the practical question is what changes first. The answer starts with daily errands. Whole Foods Market’s Frisco store is the company’s first in the city, and it is serving as the retail anchor for the first phase. Local reporting says the retail component is expected to total about 100,000 square feet, which suggests a shopping stop aimed at nearby neighborhoods as much as regional visitors.

The larger buildout is much bigger than one grocery store. City materials say the full development includes about 2 million square feet of class A office space, 375,000 square feet of retail, two hotels, and townhomes and urban living units. That mix points to more morning commuter traffic, more lunch-hour foot traffic and more evening activity than a standalone shopping center would generate.

The project is also being shaped as a public-space district, not just a collection of buildings. The Mix says it includes 16.5 acres of open space overall, with a 9-acre central park as the anchor point and tree-canopied walkways throughout the site. The development has also promoted a 2-Star Fitwel Community certification, which it described as Texas’ first Fitwel Community.

That design is part of why The Mix feels different from the dead-end version of the site that stalled years ago. Wade Park construction halted in 2017, lenders seized the property in 2019, and the crater at the edge of the tollway became a symbol of Frisco growth delayed. Frisco officials celebrated the start of construction on Jan. 16, 2025, and the site has begun to look like a real district instead of a long-abandoned plan.

The near-term effect is likely to be more local than dramatic. The Mix probably will not replace Legacy West or Grandscape overnight, but it could change where Frisco residents buy groceries, meet friends and spend weekday evenings. As the first phase fills in, the bigger test will be whether the project becomes a convenience stop, a workplace hub and a weekend destination all at once.