Another mall in Frisco?

General Growth Properties, the company behind Frisco's very successful Stonebriar Centre mall in South Frisco has plans for an "open air mall" at the southwest corner of 380 and the North Dallas Tollway.

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Money Magazine's Best Places to Live

I was looking at Money magazine's 2006 "Best Places to Live" issue online, and noticed that Frisco did not make the list. In fact, nearby cities like Plano and Richardson made the list. So I'm perplexed - why didn't Money Magazine like Frisco? As a life long resident of the Dallas area, let me be one to protest, that it should have!

However, Frisco was compared in the site.

Here's some interesting tidbits:
The Family Purchasing Power of a Frisco resident was $96,470, compared to Money Magazine's Best Cities average purchasing power of $68,109. That means residents of Frisco can purchase an additional $28,361 by living in Frisco, than in Money's Best Cities in America! Perhaps Frisco should advertise this "Move to Frisco, get $28,000 more!"

Job Growth was 52.98%! Now, granted, that's in percentages, but still, quite impressive. Job growth is usually a very high factor for real estate investors. Money's Best Citie's averaged 10.97%

Home Price Gain for 2004-2005.... 7.8% compared to Money's Best Average of 9.26%. Yes, we're lower here, but 7.8% is actually very high for a Dallas exurb. I would guess that the Home Price Gain has actually increased since then, due to the increase in high end homes and the near completion of the North Dallas Tollway.

The Property Crime Index for Frisco was actually high at 105, vs. Money's Best Cities average of 74. Could this have kept Frisco off the list? Is Frisco a safe place to live? Personally, I'd say very safe. From what I understand, there are two problems relating to the high larceny rate.
First, Frisco is having a hard time keeping up with its rapid growth, and does need more police officers. Second, Frisco has a lot of shopping, which always results in more parking lot thefts, and, o.k., I have third...a lot of the theft is from new home construction, which Frisco also is abundant in. I have personally been one of those property crime victims since my move here 4 years ago, but on average, Frisco residents experience less crime than the rest of the Money's "Best" Cities. Frisco has 143 personal crime incidents per 100,000 residents, vs. Money's Best Cities average of 228. That's 37% less crime in Frisco. By the way, Frisco just recently opened a spectacular new Police station. (pictured)

Frisco scored high in the number of Movie theaters, with 43 within a 15 mile drive, compared to the Money Best Cities' average of 22.

If you're a drinker, Frisco may not be the place for you..at least, if you're a public drinker. Frisco had 17 bars within a 15 mile drive, compared to 127 on Money's Best Cities' average. I guess this is good news if you have kids and bad news if you make a regular practice of "tying one on."

Here's one for you, if you live in Frisco, TX, you are more than 50% less likely to die of a Cardiac related death, than in Money Magazines Best Places to live in 2006. Perhaps Money should stipulate that their "Best" places are only "Best" if you do, in fact, live....

If it turns out that you think Frisco might be one of the best places to live, or even Richardson or Plano, please give me a call and I'll help you find one of the best homes to live in!
Brian Marsh, Realtor - 214.520.4188 www.BrianMarshGroup.com







and the rest of the post here

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Homebuilders expect fewer home starts in 2007

Dallas Business Journal

by Christine Perez

Staff Writer

Dallas-Fort Worth builders expect to cut home starts back 2% in 2007, according to a survey conducted by Residential Strategies Inc.

Builders that specialize in homes priced under $175,000 say they'll start 7% fewer homes next year; those in the $250,000+ category are planning to cut starts by 4%. Only builders in the $175,000 to $250,000 group are planning to increase production, by about 9%.

Competition, margins, buyer traffic, lot price increases and cancellations are the top builder concerns for 2007. Top reason for buyer fallouts? Many are continuing to shop after putting homes under contract, the builders say, and relocation buyers are having a more difficult time selling their existing homes in other parts of the country.

Two-thirds of the builders anticipate optioning more lots in 2007, with an average increase of 18% over 2006. However, they're quick to point out that they'll only buy and develop in the right locations, with infill sites being popular.

On the good news side, the Dallas-Fort Worth market is seeing more relocation buyers -- up by 25% in 2006 over 2005.

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Some other sites

O.k., I know this makes for a boring post, but I'd like to have at least some links to my blog on Technorati.com, and you may be interested in visiting my other blogs and websites, so here they are:

AggressiveHomeSales.com : This is the main website for Brian Marsh & Associates of Virginia Cook. Here, you can search all homes for sale in North Texas, learn about the home buying and selling process, see our 20 Point Aggressive Home Marketing Plan that helps us to sell homes in just 30 days, and find out why we call our site AggressiveHomeSales.com

6Below is my personal blog regarding : Subsurface thoughts and ideas on Business Effeciency
If you're into business, you'll probably find it interesting, if you're not, you won't.

PlanoRealEstateBlog is like this site, but about Plano Real Estate. If you're considering Plano, you should consider Frisco, and vice versa.

GriffinParcBlog.com is like this site, but specific to the Griffin Parc subdivision in Frisco. If you're considering Frisco, you should visit this blog to find out more about this great community.

McKinneyRealEstateBlog is like this site, but about McKinney Real Estate. If you're considering Frisco, you should consider McKinney, and vice versa.

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2,100-acre project headed to Prosper

Developer plans thousands of homes, commercial space

11:24 AM CST on Thursday, November 2, 2006

By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

Forest City Enterprises – the real estate developer redoing downtown Dallas' historic Mercantile Bank Building – plans to build a 2,100-acre community in the town of Prosper.

The development on U.S. Highway 380 at Fields Road north of Frisco will include thousands of homes plus commercial space.

Cleveland-based Forest City is developing the project in partnership with the Mahard family, which has been a major landowner in the area for decades.

"We do regional master planned community development around the country, and we are very excited about the opportunity here," said Dean Wingert, Forest City's project developer.

"We plan a mixed-use development with a variety of residential types and amenities. There will be commercial development opportunities as well," he said.

Mr. Wingert said construction on utilities and streets on the property won't start sooner than late next year.

"We would like to move forward as quickly as possible," he said. "We have a great deal of entitlement work to do with the local community.

"There is a tremendous amount of design work to go through, too."

Leaders of the one-time farming town of almost 6,000 say they are glad to get Forest City as a builder.

"To have somebody of the nature of Forest City is huge," said Douglas C. Mousel, town administrator.

"It's always been my hope that we would see a single entity come in and develop a master planned community on that property, rather than a bunch of smaller developments."

The Mahard family has used the land as part of its Prosper egg farm operations and for other agricultural uses. Mahard Egg Farm is one of the country's largest egg producers.

Prosper's population increased by almost 30 percent last year, making it the fastest-growing community in North Texas, according to town officials. The town had 500 residents when it incorporated in 1914.

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Middle East Buying Dallas Real Estate

Is Dallas real estate a good place to invest your oil dollars? Well the Middle East seems to think so:

According to the latest Global Real Estate Capital report, "Record Volumes, Record Globalisation" by global real estate services and money management firm, Jones Lang LaSalle, almost $6 billion was invested outside the Middle Eastern region in the first half of 2006, with $4 billion flowing into the US and $2 billion into Europe, principally to the UK.Office investments dominated while large investments were also made in hotel and retail sectors. Almost half of the total investments in the US were in New York City. This includes the purchase of 280 Park Avenue by Istithmar, the investment arm of Dubai Holding for $1.2 billion. Middle East investors also made significant investments in Boston, Houston and Dallas.
-Khaleej Times Online

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New retail and commercial developments on the horizon

Frisco Convention & Visitors Bureau: On the SWHorizon

Here are some new and exciting commercial developments in the works:

On the Horizon

Frisco Forcehttp://www.friscoforce.com/

The Frisco Force Race Team and Go-Kart Park opens in the first quarter of 2007 and will offer family entertainment plus the NASCAR craftsman Truck Series race team. The race team will compete annually in 25 nationally televised races around the country, including two at the Texas Motor Speedway. The Go-Kart Park will be a family oriented facility open to the public.

Heritage Villagehttp://www.friscoheritage.org/

Designed as a cultural tourism and an expanded education destination, Frisco’s Heritage Village will provide a dynamic picture of what it was like to live and work in Frisco during the past 100 + years. Centered around the Frisco Heritage Museum, which will feature hands-on exhibits, many historical homes, a log cabin and school room, this “living village” will also be home to shops, stores, meeting rooms and teaching facilities. The Heritage Village is scheduled to open Summer 2007.

Homewood Suites

This 117 room hotel offers warm, spacious suites and home-like services and amenities that make the hotel the perfect place to stay for three nights or three weeks. Enjoy the spacious studio, one and/or two-bedroom suites, a fully equipped kitchen complete with full-size refrigerator, microwave oven, coffeemaker and dishwasher and daily complimentary Suite Start® hot breakfast. Opening Summer 2007.
Shops at Starwood

The Shops at Starwood will be a vibrant collection of select retail merchants and one-of-a-kind specialty restaurants located on the Dallas North Tollway at Lebanon. This Mediterranean inspired development will include DFW Diamonds, Bonnie Ruth’s Trotoirre et Patisserie (a French bistro), and many other upscale restaurants and retailers. Complete with ornamental landscaping, decorative pedestrian walkways and water features, The Shops at Starwood is scheduled to open August 2006. For more information, call 214-373-0220.

Stonebriar Commons at Legacy

Located in front of the Westin Stonebriar Resort is the first phase of this new development that will include retail, restaurants, two new hotels and condominiums. The center currently features Farpointe Wine Cellar & Bistro, Cantina Laredo and The Face & Body Spa. The second phase, scheduled to break ground September 2006 will include more restaurants and retail, and a full service Sheraton Hotel. For more information, contact 214-720-6633.

Studio Movie Grillhttp://www.studiomoviegrill.com/

Studio Movie Grill is coming to Frisco in Spring 2007. This concept, which combines first-run movies, a state-of-the-art viewing experience and high-quality food, will be located in Frisco Square, across the street from Pizza Hut Park. With ticket prices consistent with those of conventional movie theaters, Studio Movie Grill’s nine-screen theater will offer numerous exclusive amenities in addition to food and beverage service, including in-theater table service, full bar service and individual leather recliners. In addition, the facility will have sophisticated audio/video equipment, which is expected to help attract hundreds of corporate events and private parties.

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The State of Frisco Real Estate

As a Realtor, I'm always being asked "How's Real Estate in the Dallas area?" I think, a lot of the time, people are expecting me to say that the end is coming and I'm jumping ship. At least, that's what you'd think listening to the national press.

But my answer is "Fantastic, we are on the verge of exciting and exploding times here."

Here's the general scoop on Real Estate in the Dallas area:

* Appreciation in the Dallas area has held at a steady 5-6% growth for quite a few years now. While there have been some slight regional hiccups, like the airline downsize effecting areas west of the North Dallas Tollway, and the Telecom bust effecting the telecom corridor in Richardson and Allen, Dallas has not seen the super appreciation that the coasts, and much of the rest of the country has, but we have not seen a depreciation of any sort either. It should be noted, that there are areas of fairly substantial appreciation in Dallas. Areas between Hwy 75 and I-35, between Downtown and I-635, have seen appreciation rates as high as 15% in some areas, and of course, Preston Hollow, University Park, and Highland Park would be some of those areas. (Did I mention my sites, HighlandParkRealtor.com and PrestonHollowRealtor.com ?)

* Several things have happened on the national level that is now affecting Dallas.

First, baby boomers are getting older. That means that the most affluent generation of America's history is settling down, which means, downsizing to condo's, townhouses, zero line lot homes, lake homes, second homes, and vacation homes. This is why some of the hype of a housing bubble is unfounded. (I don't believe in housing bubbles at all - stocks may bust, but homes simply deflate (with the exception of natural disasters and government intervention, of course).

Second, a lot of those baby boomers, and people from both coast, are deciding that a warm climate with not to little natural disasters in a undervalued housing market with no state income tax sounds pretty good. And they, my friend, coming (and with lots of cash from the appreciation they made).

Third, a recent nationally publicized study found that Dallas and Ft. Worth were 2 of the top three undervalued real estate markets in the country. Think that caught the ear of investors everywhere? How about the great job growth? (I heard that it was the second best job growth in the nation.) Dallas is at the start of an invasion of home investors, and let me tell you, they are already here. Ask any new home builder in Frisco or McKinney, or any condo developer in Downtown Dallas, and they'll tell you they are knee deep in Yankees, hippies, and people with a foreign accent. I was on an investors club board in California recently, and, I kid you not, HALF of the messages were about buying homes in Texas (Austin is a really hot market too.)

Forth, speaking of a foreign accent, there is a world effect descending upon the Dallas area. With the rise of democracy in Russia and China, some people are starting to make some money over there, but they sure don't trust the banks. So, where's the safest investment vehicle in the world? You guessed it, right here in America, and even better, Dallas. How exciting for a Chinese national to come home and tell everyone that they bought some homes just minutes from J.R.'s place! Oh, and did I mention the weak dollar? That's making us an even better deal.

* Back to Dallas - although Big D's still fighting the black eye of a high crime rate and is gaining national recognition for its City Counsel that often resembles the Jerry Springer Show, financial leaders like Tom Hicks, Tramel Crow, and a thousand hard as nails developers and entrepreneurs are continuing to transform the city and its suburbs into a dynamic, culturally diverse, and vibrant city. I was born and raised in Dallas, Richardson, Garland, and Frisco, and let me tell you, it wasn't always such an exciting place to be. Think pre-1990, or maybe a little before then. There was nothing dynamic or exiting about the Dallas skyline, not neon lights, no Deep Elum, no West End, no State Street condos, no McKinney Avenue restaurant scene, no European Retail/housing villages, and Frisco was a great place for farming and hunting.

Currently, there are about a dozen high rise condo conversions taking place in the Downtown Dallas area, including the Ritz, and the just opened "W" Hotel and condos. If the City can get their act together, we'll be starting the building of a 10 Story high architecturally significant bridge across the Trinity, and then development of the Trinity itself.

Oak Cliff, 10 minutes from Downtown and filled with huge mature trees is being transformed by individual investors and developers into a kind of a quaint, old, ethnically diverse place that's perfect for the thirty-forty something crowd who still have a deep desire to be hip, but can't quite see themselves in a condo.

* Lets move on to Frisco. One of the surprises for out of state relocations and investors is our high property tax rate. Yes, there's no income tax in Texas, but that's kind of inconsequential for an out of state investor. And what about Tennessee, where there's no state income tax AND low property taxes? Lets face it, property taxes hurt...property, and investment, and appreciation, and, yes, Tax Revenue (something I've never been able to get my liberal friends to understand). Currently, Frisco enjoys one of the lowest property tax rates in D/FW (2.32-2.41% depending upon the County), thanks to a retail tax revenue that, at last count was over $25,000,000 a year, and the conservative and sane council members we enjoy in Frisco and thank the Lord for every time we see a Dallas City Council meeting on T.V. That's about $950 per $100,000 in value an investor sees in his pocket when he buys a home in Frisco instead of McKinney, Dallas, or one of the other 2.8% plus cities.

* Behold, the North Dallas Tollway Completion! Well, its not here yet, but the North Dallas Tollway extension to Hwy 380 at the Frisco/Prosper border is expected to be completed by 2007, and the last I heard, they were 6 months ahead. And what does this spell for Frisco? Appreciation my friend, Appreciation with a capital "A" (to the tune of Music Man). Lets take a look at some statistics from the North Texas Real Estate Information System. In the area from Hwy 121 to 380, roughly a mile in either direction, there were 607 properties sold in 2005, with an average sales price of $372,157, and an average price per sq. ft. of $113. (by the way, the largest sale was 9,311 sq. ft. with a price of $3,000,000.) To date, 2006 shows 281 properties sold with an average sales price of $384,524, and an average price per sq. ft. of $115. I know, I know, some of you more savy investors who attended Highland Park schools are saying "hey, wait a minute, that's only 3% appreciation." Well, although some people figure it that way, it's not a barometer of inflation at all, because it doesn't measure an increase in price on the same homes. Personally, I have not found a great, and accurate way to measure the appreciation in a given area, short of a Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is huge. However, the best method I have, indicates appreciation rates up to 11% in some areas along that corridor, and I'm seeing rental signs poping up like Johnson grass in my neighborhood in the same area, which ought to tell you something (investors).

If you'd like to buy or sell your own piece of the pie in Frisco, or anywhere else in the Dallas area, give me a call and I'll help you to navigate the scenery and scam artist along the road.

-Brian Marsh is a Realtor, Frisco resident, native Dallasite, and Editor of the Frisco Real Estate Blog. If you'd like to contact Brian you can reach him through his website, http://www.aggresivehomesales.com/ or by phone at 214.520.

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Frisco Homes Sales and Prices up for 2006

Click the above Picture to enlarge

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Frisco Schools Rate High

These North Texas school districts were rated either Recognized or Academically Acceptable in the 2006 accountability ratings released on Tuesday by the Texas Education Agency. The Districts rating as a whole is first, and then followed by the schools themselves in brackets ()

Why schools on a Real Estate Blog? Because schools may be the single greatest indicator of appreciation within an area.

The districts, their ratings and number of schools within each rating follow:

Allen ISD: Recognized (7 Exemplary; 8 Recognized; 2 Acceptable)

Carroll ISD: Recognized (10 Exemplary; 1 Recognized)

Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD: Recognized (4 Exemplary; 20 Recognized; 11 Acceptable)

Celina ISD: Acceptable (1 Exemplary; 3 Recognized)

Coppell ISD: Recognized (10 Exemplary; 4 Recognized)

Frisco ISD: Recognized (9 Exemplary; 15 Recognized; 2 Acceptable)

Garland ISD: Acceptable (3 Exemplary; 25 Recognized; 35 Acceptable; 1 Unacceptable)

Lewisville ISD: Acceptable (19 Exemplary; 26 Recognized; 13 Acceptable)

Little Elm ISD: Acceptable (4 Recognized; 4 Acceptable)

Lovejoy ISD: Recognized (2 Exemplary)

McKinney ISD: Recognized (9 Exemplary; 10 Recognized; 4 Acceptable)

Mesquite ISD: Acceptable (4 Exemplary; 10 Recognized; 29 Acceptable)

Plano ISD: Acceptable (25 Exemplary; 24 Recognized; 12 Acceptable; 1

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Another High-Tech Business moves to Frisco

Ignite Technologies

Another high-tech business is headed to Frisco.

Ignite Technologies Inc. has leased 25,713 square feet for its corporate headquarters in the Hall Office Park at 3211 Internet Blvd.

The software and network technology company is now based at 5910 North Central Expressway in Dallas.

Jean Farris with Hall Financial Group negotiated the lease with Steve Thelen and Bo Bond with the Staubach Co.

-Steve Brown, Dallas Morning News

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Frisco's Hall Office Park Weighing Plans for More Spec Office

By Connie Gore, GlobeSt.com

FRISCO, TX-With a banner year of leasing under way, Craig Hall plans to decide within 45 days if it's time to raise another spec building in the 1.65-million-sf Hall Office Park. In the past two months, the team has closed 289,284 sf of deals and is on track to have the park fully leased by year's end.
"We're behind the curve for the first time since we started," Hall tells GlobeSt.com. "It's by far the best leasing year and we did not expect it."

Hall Office Park, now marking its ninth year, can support three million sf. Hall's kept the "key piece"--adjacent to the Dallas North Tollway--in his land bank as a development site for taller buildings and higher density. The plan has been modified several times through the years, but now the developer says "it's getting close to where it needs to get finalized."

Hall says he's getting bids on a new building and alternatives for a couple existing ones. "In order to build future buildings, the rents are going to have to go up," he stresses. Current rents are $23 per sf to $24 per sf for the class A space; concessions are down considerably. By Hall's projections, rents need to be in the $24 per sf to $26 per sf range to support construction at today's prices. "I'm not sure how fast the market will adjust to that," he says.

Hall attributes this year's traction, in part, to larger companies' willingness to look north due to the region's demographical shift, but he says the lion's share of the credit goes to the park's corporate-style amenities package. "People realize we're no longer on the extreme, but the location of the future," he explains. "Bigger companies today have more interest in the general location than they did two, three, four or five years ago. I don't think there's an easy was to predict the economy and office leasing in Dallas. At times, we've had more than we wanted and now we don't have enough." Since the year began, 472,795 sf has been leased.

The leasing pattern has been five-year terms for smaller tenants and six- to eight-year terms for larger firms. The deals are "moderately stair-stepped," Hall says. Lately, the sweet spot's been hovering 25,000 sf, which in most cases factors out to a full floor. The park's 11 office buildings presently house 135 companies with 3,800 employees.

The latest six-year lease, Ignite Technologies Inc., fills the balance of the 128,000-sf mid-rise at 3211 Internet Blvd. The firm will move in Sept. 1 as will Sanyo Energy USA Corp., which took 29,842 sf for the long term at 2600 Network Blvd. Ignite now offices at 5910 N. Central Expressway in Dallas. Ignite was represented by Steve Thelen and Bo Bond with Dallas-based Staubach Co. Jean Farris, Hall's director of leasing, bargained its terms with James L. Gandy, president of the Frisco Economic Development Corp., and its business development director, Nancy Windham, negotiating economic incentives to set the hook.

To date this year, AmeriSourceBergen Specialty Group has been the biggest catch with two leases, totaling 213,762 sf, and 10- and 12-year terms. The Chesterbrook, PA-based company is taking all of 3101 Gaylord Parkway, which delivers in January, and picking up the 80,655-sf balance in a future addition that's penciled for a Jan.1, 2009 delivery, according to Hall.

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Frisco City Hall Opens, nearby developments abound

Frisco City Hall set to open doors
Workers, visitors to bring foot traffic to up-and-coming area

Dallas Business Journal - June 30, 2006
by Sandra Zaragoza Staff Writer

Main Street in Frisco will start to bustle on July 3 when city employees show up to work at the new Frisco City Hall.

The building anchors Frisco Square -- a development with office, retail and apartments -- near the intersection of Main Street and Dallas Parkway.

Over the next few months, City Hall employees will be joined by construction crews ready to build retail, office and residential projects along Main Street, where Frisco Square and Pizza Hut Park soccer stadium sit alongside green pastures.

The owner of Frisco Square, Fairways Frisco L.P., is set to break ground on a new phase of the mixed-use project in August. The latest phase will include two four-story office buildings, each with about 17,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, and a 47,000-square-foot building that will house Studio Movie Grill and additional retail. The first office building will be completed in early 2007, while the theater and second office building are slated for summer 2007 delivery.

Frisco Square is not the only development ramping up activity in the Main Street area:

Across the street, Allen-based Dallas International Realty Advisors plans to break ground in September on World Cup Plaza & Main Square, a 92,921-square-foot retail and office project. Plans call for almost 78,000 square feet of retail and about 15,000 square feet of office space, along with a 125-room hotel. World Cup Plaza has signed Pei Wei Asian Diner and several other restaurants. The project, which is expected to be complete next summer, is being marketed by Paul Harmon and Dan Shoevlin of Dallas-based Henry S. Miller Commercial.
Dallas-based Archon Retail is proposing Frisco Commons, a 500,000-square-foot development on 104 acres at the southwest corner of Main Street and Dallas Parkway. Staubach Retail in Dallas is handling leasing for the proposed project.
Dallas-based John T. Evans Co. is marketing a 23,000-square-foot project on Main Street, east of Dallas Parkway.
Nearby, big retail players like Chicago-based General Properties and Forest City Enterprises of Cleveland have staked their claims on huge parcels at Dallas Parkway and U.S. 380.
Ripe for retail
So far, Frisco Square has had more success with residential and office than retail.

But Brant Bryan, a partner in Fairways Frisco L.P., says office and residential demand has shot up in the last year and he expects retail to follow. About 51,600 square feet of office space is almost 100% leased and 114 apartments are about 98% leased.

The project's 40,000 square feet of retail is about 60% occupied.

"There are enough things going on with City Hall and Pizza Hut Park, office and residential demand, that (retail) is going to have critical mass pretty quickly," Bryan said.

In addition to the theater, Frisco Square signed Mattito's Tex Mex restaurant. It is in lease negotiations with Starbucks, an ice cream shop and a diner. And it is in talks with a few fitness center tenants and specialty grocers.

When it opens next week, City Hall will bring in about 200 employees and 500 visitors a day, said Ross Golman, of Dallas-based The Retail Connection, who is handling leasing for the center.

But the expected September 2007 Dallas North Tollway completion, which will link State Highway 121 with U.S. 380, will usher in far greater changes, Golman said.

"By September of '07 there will be a lot of traffic and a lot more density of retail and restaurants," he said.

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Frisco smart to consider eco-friendly standards

Editorial: Frisco smart to consider eco-friendly standards

07:34 AM CDT on Friday, July 28, 2006


Frisco's talking green again, and we love it.

Six years ago, Frisco became the nation's first city to require eco-friendly building standards for residential construction. The program has been very successful, prompting Frisco to consider similar standards for new commercial construction.

We'll reserve final comment until we see the program details, which Frisco's city staff expects to present to the City Council for review in August. Much like the residential program, though, the commercial program is likely to require developers to more efficiently manage water, energy and waste recycling.


For example, there's talk that encouraging developers to install heat-reflective roofs is a possible option among many that the staff is considering.

We applaud Frisco for continuing to exhibit forward thinking. Frisco has purchased hybrid vehicles for its city fleet, encouraged drought-tolerant landscaping, and established more parks and green space. The city's recycling program, "Keeping Frisco Clean ... with Single Stream," was recently lauded nationally.

While many cities have embraced more rigorous energy standards in newly constructed public-owned buildings, relatively few have pressed commercial developers to be more energy-wise.

Some commercial developers have pursued energy-efficient policies as good business, but many have not, in part over concern that tougher standards would drive up the cost of new construction. We urge developers and Frisco to work closely to make eco-friendly commercial standards tailored to the needs of North Texas a reality.

Frisco officials recognize that they must manage its rapid growth in part by promoting efficient energy use. And they recognize that every bit counts.

In the U.S., buildings account for 39 percent of the nation's total annual energy consumption, which means that energy-efficient construction can make a difference.

For example, since its inception in 2001, Frisco's energy-wise residential construction program has saved the city's 8,000 "green" homeowners more than $430 a year in utility costs each and kept tons of pollutants from the air. So far this year, about 96 percent of new homes in Frisco have been built to green standards.

As Frisco continues to demonstrate, it's not only easy being green, it's smart.

DMN Suburban Editorial Board
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Will the economy save the housing market?

Economy may save housing market? Agree or disagree?

San Francisco -- Just when things looked awful for the real estate market: higher mortgage rates, high rates of foreclosures, oversupply, time on the market longer and a liquidity crunch -- something happened: a ROARING economy evidenced by 5 percent growth rates, strong consumer confidence and job growth. Rates are central to a thriving housing market, but nothing tops job growth. When people are employed, they buy houses.

Take San Francisco: lines at restaurants, traffic is backed-up, commercial office space is filled up and people are making money.
We call it the Google effect out here. But it is not just a SF phenom. I just left Dallas where the economy is on full throttle.

Who knows how long this will last but a friend at Cal Berkeley predicts a period of global prosperity as China and India lift all boats.
What do you think?
-- Bradley Inman
Inman News Service Blog
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