Growth, communication, legacy topics of Frisco’s 2017 State of the City

Mayor Jeff Cheney

“We’re doing it right Frisco, we’re doing it right,” Tony Felker told hundreds of community leaders and Chamber of Commerce members at the State of the City luncheon in Frisco on June 21.

Felker, president and CEO of the Frisco Chamber of Commerce, said this was the chamber’s largest luncheon to date with over 600 attendees.

“Obviously, Mayor [Jeff] Cheney is a big reason for this turnout, but I believe it also speaks loudly to the growth in the area, the positive attitude throughout the business community, and how all of our community partners are working toward one vision,” Felker said earlier in a news release.

The Frisco chamber encompasses more than 1,300 businesses, many of which were represented at the luncheon as co-sponsors, executive sponsors, parking and table sponsors.

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The event was co-sponsored by CobbFendley and Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano, with Garver LLC as the parking sponsor and Brinkmann Ranch, Landmark Bank, Parkhill Smith & Cooper and Peinado Construction as executive sponsors. Additionally, there were 44 table sponsors.

“It’s an honor to be here and share the stage with the mayor and Texas Health. CobbFendley and Texas Health are obviously in the business of helping our community,” said Cal Bostwick, senior vice president of CobbFendley. “We pride ourselves in helping people and supporting our communities wherever we can. Obviously, we know Frisco is a premier city and success is going to continue.”

Dr. Steve Hadzima, chief medical officer of Texas Health Plano, complimented the chamber “as it supports, strengthens and grows members’ businesses and creates a vibrant Frisco business community.”

He also announced that Texas Health will open a 28-acre Frisco hospital campus in late 2019, which will feature a 74-bed acute care hospital, medical office building and multi-specialty clinic.

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“As Frisco continues to grow, we intend to grow with Frisco,” Hadzima said.

Frisco was named the nation’s second-fastest growing large city – population of 50,000 or more – by the U.S. Census Bureau with a 6.2 percent population increase from July 1, 2015, to July 1, 2016.

Growth was a continuing theme of the State of the City luncheon as the number of Leadership Frisco graduates increased by 21 with Class XX.

Leadership Frisco is a nine-month program focusing on community leadership, civic responsibility and community involvement.

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“The purpose of Leadership Frisco is to develop a pool of qualified, highly motivated individuals who are interested in expanding their leadership skills, deepening their sense of civic involvement and becoming more involved in the community as a whole,” said Shauna Huffman, director of government affairs at the Frisco chamber and Leadership Frisco staff liaison.

No stranger to leadership himself, the newly elected mayor is known for his collaborative leadership style.

Cheney has a history of leadership including serving as the chairman of Frisco’s Budget and Audit Committee and as a member of The Mayor’s Youth Council Liaison, the Frisco Technology Committee and the Frisco Education Foundation. Additionally, he was chosen five times by the city council to be mayor pro tem and deputy mayor pro tem before being elected mayor in May.

Cheney used the State of the City to lay out his 100-day plan, which includes nine planks: communication strategy, managing growth, rejuvenating downtown, focusing on the arts, expanding economic development, valuing veterans, addressing traffic issues, property tax relief and park development.

“As long as I am your mayor, we will have continued improvement in Frisco,” he said. “We have big ideas for Frisco and we will be successful because we are moving forward as a team.”

Cheney explained that his administration aims to “redefine how cities communicate with their residents and their vested partners.”

To do this, his team will release daily video updates of their “Progress in Motion” for 100 days that will tell Frisco’s story, including new events, the Frisco vision or obstacles the city may face. There will also be a large push to use social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, particularly Facebook live.

“As your mayor, I want to be able to speak directly to you,” Cheney added, explaining initiatives to host mobile town halls, city council socials, coffee with the mayor, quarterly business roundtables and focus groups.

Cheney noted that the city council adopted the city’s first homestead exemption on June 20, implementing a 7.5 percent property tax reduction for homeowners.

The city will also increase its effort to communicate directly with seniors, as Cheney says he wants to give everyone a voice. The video updates, links to social media platforms to reach the mayor and his staff, as well as information on his plan will be available online when his new website is launched at www.MayorCheney.com

While Frisco is on the map as a sports town, with the Dallas Cowboys training facility located there, Cheney sees the need for an active, thriving arts community as well.

“It’s imperative to hear the concerns of the multi-faceted arts community and better understand their needs here in Frisco,” he said. “And I want all those involved in the arts in Frisco to know they’ve waited and we appreciate their patience, but now is the time.”

He added that a framework is being started to work to bring a performing arts center to Frisco. Although the council is aggressively committed to pursuing this need, he said he does not believe it is the place of government to run arts facilities and so public-private partnerships, with an emphasis on private, will be sought out.

When it comes to managing Frisco’s growth, particularly business and commercial, the mayor said, “We need to design to attract the high quality of jobs that we’re looking for here in Frisco.”

Cheney also emphasized his and the council’s commitment to high-rise luxury developments over lower-value, large footprint apartment complexes; to protecting natural amenities, and to increasing walkability wherever possible.

Increasing walkability is just one element of what he hopes to bring to downtown Frisco, however, as “our private businesses have driven change, and now the city can help.”

Cheney wants to create plazas and open spaces, create and implement a traffic plan and work with businesses to make parking downtown easier.

“Starting today, there is a new Frisco standard,” he said, emphasizing quality over quantity building. “And as a city, we are going to work to remove obstacles and open up arteries for downtown. But it’s going to be the private businesses that are going to make downtown Frisco a truly remarkable place.”

Cheney said he and the council understand the need to make parking and traffic a No. 1 priority for Frisco, and they plan to work together to “Get Frisco Moving Again” by building a culture of innovation that embraces traffic and travel technology to overcome obstacles.

With the growth that has come to Frisco and is in the works, Cheney added, “There is no better time than now to attract Fortune 500 businesses and grow our entrepreneurial and small-business sector.”

In fact, he said, the Economic Development Commission board is already well underway with a new strategic plan for Frisco’s economic development and the council is ready and willing to step in as never before.

“There’s no reason why we shouldn’t use this community to make a team effort to make an incredible, thriving business community,” Cheney said. “And that’s going to be our future for economic development.”

Cheney also said there are approximately 2,700 veterans in Frisco – nearly 2 percent of the population – and there needs to be more recognition of the value they can bring to the community and businesses and organizations.

Cheney plans to honor one stand-out Frisco veteran every six months.

“Someone that has chosen to serve our nation will most likely be willing to serve our community,” he said.

The mayor also announced that the wait for Grand Park is over and his personal goal is for a 2018 groundbreaking. A page on his new website will keep the community informed on the daily progress of the park.

“We will be known as a city with one of the best park systems in the entire country,” he said.

“This is going to be Frisco’s legacy for you, your children, your grandchildren. Ultimately, I feel this is what Frisco will one day be best known for.”