Frisco's The Gate looks to add more residential units; hotel flag choice appears imminent

Frisco's Planning & Zoning Commission approved the addition of 131 more residential units at The Gate in a meeting on Tuesday – pending the exploration of a few items with the city.

Representatives from JMJ Development and IGO USA were on-hand to answer questions about proposed changes to the plans for both a mixed hotel-hotel conference center-residential high-rise and a separate residential tower.

JMJ Development, which plans to buy land from master-developer IGO USA on the northwest corner of John Hickman Parkway and Dallas Parkway, is looking to add a maximum of 150 luxury condominium units to the proposed mixed-use tower. The move could allow the tower to grow from 25 stories to 30 stories. However, the planned development only allows for the residential units to be built at 131-feet or above in vertical development.

IGO USA, which as focused on a plot west of the mixed-use site, is seeking to add 60 more units to a proposed tower. The site plan currently allows for the tower to have 106 units. A representative from IGO USA said that it's looking in to adding two stories to the building because of the demand for penthouses in particular. The building can be as tall as 15 stories, though the IGO representative said they were planning on it possibly being 12 stories.

The mixed-use plot is identified as "Hotel & Condo Tower A" on the below plan pulled from filings with the city, while the second residential tower is identified as "Condos Tower B."

Plans for The Gate in Frisco
Enlarge
Plans for The Gate in Frisco
JMJ Development also asked as part of the adjustments to the plans to allow for phasing of the project. The firm hopes to be able to develop the tower, parking garage, retail and a two-story restaurant space within a single phase. Phasing language was not included in the original plan.

Fresh exhibits were provided as part of the presentation to the Planning & Zoning Commission, as shown at the top of this story.

JMJ's David Messersmith, who is the developer's hospitality platform leader, said during the meeting that the it is looking to add a hotel that will be "architecturally significant" and that "will elevate the hotel and hospitality offering" in the city.

The number of hotel rooms remains unclear, but Messersmith implied that the developer was in talks with a flag hotel for the space, noting he could give more specifics about the flag "offline" but not in public.

Commission Chair Rob Cox voiced that his biggest concern with the proposals at The Gate was that it was "all residential and no mixed-use."

Cox voiced another of the commission's primary concerns with the development as well.

RECOMMENDED
RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE
Tom Clancy's former Ritz-Carlton penthouse gets split in two — and one is about to hit the market

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE
Banking tycoon with ties to Johnny Carson and Las Vegas gaming lists island property for $14.5M

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE
Third Ward penthouse condo back on market a year later, price upped to $1.9M: Slideshow

"If these turn out truly to be condos with owner-provided product, that's what our citizens are really wanting in these types of communities – not just apartments," he said.

Commissioners David R. Box and Brittany Colberg agreed, asking if the developers would be willing to add language that to provide that these would be individually deeded, or for-sale, units, rather than for-lease.

Both JMJ and IGO said that they intended for their individual condos to be for-sale products.

The Commission passed a motion to approve the changes in the planned development under the condition that applicants explore ways to set up the condo towers as an independently deeded unit properties.

"We're just having to accept what Frisco is becoming: a great city that people want to develop in," said Commissioner Joe Kendall during the meeting.