How the Revised Exide Deal Allows Frisco to Build an Even Grander Grand Park

The mean green of dollar-driven development dominates Frisco’s stretch of the Dallas North Tollway. What’s missing is that other green -- the open, communal space that makes a place truly livable.For almost two decades, Frisco city hall has been determined to change that landscape. The idea for a Grand Park is so old that long-time residents toss it off as urban legend and newcomers have no idea the concept even exists.The people-pleasing Grand Park, which exists mostly on Google maps and decade-old master plans, has been held hostage by factors that even aggressive Frisco can’t control. But now the booming city is close to busting through the roadblocks that have paralyzed planning on its tollway-hugging oasis.I'll give you a fair warning: Don’t hold your breath that you’ll see even the first phase of the park by year’s end -- but you might actually see a solid timeline come together in 2019.The delay has largely been due to a long-running dispute over the cleanup of nearby lead-contaminated property owned by a battery recycling plant. Frisco successfully won the closure of Exide Technologies in 2012, but not until this month did final (fingers crossed) decisions get approved.The Exide saga is entwined with Grand Park because the industrial site is just across the tollway from the 328 acres set aside for the signature green space. The polluted property includes Stewart Creek, which runs from there into the proposed park en route to Lake Lewisville.  Continue reading...