🏗️ Frisco’s Animal Shelter Just Jumped to $24 Million... Here’s Why

Frisco's proposed animal services facility just got a significant price hike.

What started as a $12.8 million project is now expected to cost somewhere between $18 million and $24 million and city director Ken Schmidt was pretty candid at Monday's work session that it's probably going to land closer to the higher end. The reasons: a bigger facility footprint, rapid cost escalation, evolving design assumptions, and not many comparable projects in the region to benchmark against.

But here's the twist that makes this more than just a budget story:

Collin County is trying to end its shelter agreement with Frisco. Right now, Frisco's Animal Services division takes animals to the county shelter in McKinney. The county isn't planning to renew that agreement after November 2028. Which means Frisco isn't just building a holding facility anymore - it's potentially building a full-service shelter to handle everything the county currently handles.

Council member Laura Rummel put it plainly: the city is now having to take on everything, and the goal is to do it as efficiently as possible.

A few details worth knowing:

I had no idea how dependent Frisco was on the McKinney shelter until this came up. As someone who's only been here since 2023, it's one of those quiet infrastructure realities that doesn't surface until something changes. My girls are going to want a dog. I want that dog to come from a solid local facility.

Two things happened at Monday's council meeting. One was routine and encouraging. One was not.

The routine part: Laura Rummel and Brittney Colberg were officially sworn in. Rummel takes Place 5 - she won with 66% of the vote, which is a comfortable margin by any measure. Colberg steps into Place 6 with eight years of Planning and Zoning Commission experience behind her. Both seem like people who know how Frisco actually works, which matters.

Mark your calendar: June 13 runoff for mayor. Jeff Cheney has hit his term limit and Rod Vilhauer vs. Mark Hill will decide who leads this city next. More on that race in a future edition.

The less routine part: The same meeting stretched past midnight after a packed crowd showed up to weigh in on a proposed mosque near Lebanon Road and Batsford Drive.

City staff spent much of the evening explaining that this was not a vote on whether the mosque could be built. The zoning was already approved, some of it decades ago. Council's role was administrative only.

Mayor Cheney was clear: "What's before us tonight is not a policymaking agenda item, it's a procedural, administrative decision based on zoning. The policymaking happened 25 and 30 years ago."

Some of the public comment was measured and reasonable. Some of it was not. There were comments that drew boos. There were comments that drew applause. Cheney later called out "outside agitators" in a written statement and said they don't represent most Frisco residents.

I think he's right. I've been in this community long enough to know most people here just want great schools, safe streets, and neighbors they can wave to in the morning. The mayor held the line on process, followed the law, and said the right thing afterward.

I know Arlington technically isn't Frisco. But this is too good not to share.

On Sunday, June 14, the first official Orange Fanwalk of FIFA World Cup 2026 is happening in Arlington and it's free to attend.

Thousands of Dutch soccer fans will gather near Choctaw Stadium starting at 10 a.m. and march together to AT&T Stadium ahead of Netherlands vs. Japan (kickoff at 3 p.m.). The famous Orange Bus, which literally crossed the Atlantic Ocean to be here, will lead the procession. There's live entertainment, a DJ, and what sounds like an enormous, joyful block party in orange.

This is one of those pinch-me moments about living in North Texas. An internationally iconic soccer tradition, happening 45 minutes from my house. Monica Paul from the North Texas FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee called it "a day to remember," and I believe her.

And closer to home: Frisco is hosting Sweden as their World Cup base camp. So the World Cup energy isn't just in Arlington… it's coming right to our city.

Sushi Sakana is coming to Frisco in September. Fresh sushi, sashimi, nigiri, crab rangoons, and their signature ahi tower - opening at 3245 Main St., Ste. 245. Emily and I don't get many date nights with three kids, but when we do, sushi is usually the play. Can't wait.

Chick-fil-A Prosper opens Monday, May 26. Wear cow spots on opening day and get a free entree or kids meal. My daughters would 100% do this. We might do this.

Kaboom Town is back on July 3 in Addison - USA Today just ranked it the No. 4 best fireworks show in the country. $10 for adults, $5 for kids 2-9, free under 2. Tickets go on sale June 1 and sell out fast. Worth it.

FISD shoutout: The Frisco Education Foundation just awarded nearly $752,295 in scholarships to 813 graduating seniors from the Class of 2026. Seven FISD students also earned full associate degrees before finishing high school. My daughters are years away from this, but I love knowing this is the system they're growing up in.

Here's something worth paying attention to if you own a home in Frisco.

The latest data from Redfin and Zillow tells an interesting story. Median sale prices are down about 1.8% year over year. Nearly 32% of Frisco homes had a price drop before selling. And 78% of homes are closing under list price right now. Days on market crept up from 49 to 54 compared to last year.

That's not a crash. But it's a clear signal that the "list it and watch offers roll in" era has cooled off.

Here's the flip side: buyers are still coming. Los Angeles, Seattle, Washington DC, and New York are the top metros sending people to Frisco right now. These are buyers with real budgets who don't know your neighborhood, your street, or what closed two blocks over last month.

The sellers who win in this market aren't just listing. They're pricing smarter, staging better, and working with agents who know the hyperlocal details that out-of-towners can't Google.

That's exactly what my wife Emily does. She runs a free referral service that matches Frisco sellers with agents who actually live and work this market, not someone who just moved their license here from out of state.

✅ 100% Free
✅ Takes 10 minutes
✅ Whether you’re selling tomorrow or next year

👉 Get Your Agent Match Now