Dallas Suburb Frisco Rejects $340 Million Arts Center

In a city known for its rapid economic growth, a $340 million arts center didn’t win over voters at the ballot box.

Voters rejected a proposal to build a performing arts center using public subsidies in Frisco, the Dallas Business Journal reported. The May 3 election halted plans for a regional cultural anchor that would have brought Broadway shows and community programming to the fast-growing suburb.

Nearly 60 percent of voters opposed Proposition A, which would have allocated a portion of Frisco’s economic development funds to the project. Proposition B, which would have authorized up to $160 million in bonds, fared even worse, with about 65 percent voting against it, according to unofficial results.

The proposed Frisco Center for the Arts drew backing from the Prosper Independent School District, which pledged $125 million toward the venue, as well as Broadway Across America and Broadway Dallas, which had signed a 20-year operating agreement through the nonprofit Frisco Live.

The plans called for a 2,800-seat performance hall, a 400-seat community theater, rehearsal spaces and visual arts studios on a site at U.S. Route 380 and the Dallas North Tollway. The city estimated the venue could support 225 to 350 jobs and generate up to $60 million in annual economic impact within five years.

But critics questioned the financial priorities, especially as home prices rise and demand for infrastructure and emergency services grows. Opponent and city council candidate Burt Thakur framed it as a misaligned investment, arguing that Frisco’s focus should be on recruiting employers and addressing basic needs.

“Would it be better to use this money to attract businesses that could actually create good-paying jobs?” Thakur said. “At the end of the day, these are not going to create the jobs that allow people to buy homes here in Frisco.”

Polling showed 88 percent of residents see arts and culture as essential to the community in general. Voters were reassured that the bonds would not raise property taxes, but the initiative still failed to resonate. City officials have not announced next steps, but Frisco ISD said in a statement it remained committed to a future arts facility “at the right time.”

As Mayor Jeff Cheney put it last year, the project was intended as an investment in Frisco’s cultural future. But for now, the curtain has closed.

— Judah Duke