The City of Frisco has opened Northwest Community Park, a 122-acre site at 13770 Teel Pkwy that also serves as a restoration project for endangered Blackland Prairie.
The park is the first community park the city has built in a single phase, according to the City of Frisco.
Construction cost $40 million, funded through bonds, with roughly $3 million contributed by the Frisco Community Development Corporation (FCDC).
“Northwest Community Park is impressive in size and design, which focuses on preservation,” said Mayor Mark Hill. “It’s thoughtfully designed for avid bikers, hikers and families who want to enjoy the outdoors. All ages and experience levels are welcome, whether you’re a beginner or professional.”
The park includes more than 10 miles of dirt, gravel, and paved trails. Cycling features include a pump track, a small track for young riders, a Skills Course, and Prairie Lookout with two gravity ramps aimed at more experienced riders.
Additional amenities include a 20-acre great lawn, three playgrounds, a splash pad, a five-acre dog park, and two mini zip lines. One playground features a 20-foot-tall custom Bison play structure. An outdoor gathering space is set aside for groups to learn about the Blackland Prairie.
“This project represents our commitment to Blackland Prairie restoration and creates a space where everyone in our community can live, work, and play,” said Mayra Diaz, interim director of Play Frisco. “By building this park, we are establishing a lasting legacy for all residents of Frisco.”
Chad Brubaker, chairperson of the FCDC, said the corporation’s contribution reflects an effort to invest sales tax dollars from residents and visitors into community projects.
“We invest in projects that make everyday life better for our residents,” Brubaker said. “Northwest Community Park brings that commitment to life. By putting sales tax dollars contributed by visitors and residents to work, we’ve helped turn that vision into a lasting investment in Frisco’s families and our quality of life.”
Lisa Kirby, chairperson of Play Frisco, said the site could draw visitors from across the region.
“While this park serves our Frisco community, it also has the potential to become a regional destination for North Texas,” Kirby said. “Today reminds us that parks are about more than land and amenities – they’re about people, connection and community.”
Ricardo Sanchez, Capital Improvement Projects manager for Play Frisco, is credited with developing the park’s vision. Sanchez began planning in 2019, with design work starting in 2020. He said the site already contained a smaller city-owned pump track used by local cyclists, and he worked with the Dallas Off-Road Bicycle Association on the cycling features.
Sanchez also worked with ecologists to protect blackland soils and grasslands, and the project added more than 1,300 elm and oak trees.
“The entire park is like a university,” Sanchez said. “We wanted to build a park that belongs to the land.”
The park will follow standard city park hours, opening 30 minutes before sunrise and closing 30 minutes after sunset.
Provided by Dallas Express
