Frisco Redevelopment?

Even the most casual observer on a stroll down Granite Street can tell things are changing in Frisco.

Construction dust covers the greenery, cranes swing stacks of two-by-fours high above new foundations, and yards of utility pipe lie along the street’s shoulder. All this activity is occurring in an area of town that was pretty much built-out 15 years ago.

Older, more modest buildings are being demolished to make way for new edifices, as redevelopment becomes the focus of Frisco’s growth.

The Granite Street redevelopments, as well as nearby projects such as the upcoming transformation of 2nd Avenue’s Sky Vue Motel into12 high-end duplexes, are partly the result of local geography.

According to town numbers, Frisco’s area is roughly 1,100 acres and at the end of 2005, only about 45 acres, or 4 per cent, remained undeveloped. Subtracting the town’s controversial 9.4-acre parcel leaves only 35 acres for new development.

“All the easy stuff has been developed,” Frisco’s community development director Mark Gage said. “What you’re seeing is smaller, older properties that are changing hands, and all you’ll see now is redevelopment.”