The Cowboys and the city of Frisco yesterday approved a $115M deal that will “finance a new indoor training facility and corporate headquarters” for the team, according to Valerie Wigglesworth of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. The venue is "expected to become a destination for tourists, the home field for high school athletes and a boon to the local economy as it anchors a new mixed-use development called Frisco Station." The deal also "brings to an end the Cowboys’ longtime presence in Irving." The project will see the involvement of Blue Star Frisco, Blue Star Stadium and Blue Star HQ, which are "all newly formed companies" affiliated with Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones and his three children. Plans are to "have the complex ready" for the '16 season. Meanwhile, the Frisco Independent School District will "have priority to use the 12,000-seat stadium Thursday and Friday nights during high school football season." The stadium, corporate HQs and parking structure "will be built on 25 acres," while the remaining 66 acres will be "sold to the Blue Star companies for private development." The Cowboys-related companies "won’t provide capital up front for the project, but they will be responsible for any costs" over the $115M. They also will "bear the cost for maintaining and operating the sports complex," which is estimated at $1.5M annually. The Frisco Station development is expected to have 4.5 million square feet of office space "along with retail buildings, apartments, a hotel and restaurants on about 250 acres." Frisco officials said that they "expect the Cowboys to hold some training camps at the new complex" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 8/13).
SPLIT DECISION? In Ft. Worth, Charean Williams noted the Cowboys "have one year remaining on their training camp deal, with a three-year option" in Oxnard, Calif. The city "hopes upgrades to the Residence Inn River Ridge complex will entice the Cowboys to remain even after their Frisco training facility opens." Oxnard aims to make the facility "more fan friendly with better fan seating, while improving the locker room and meeting room facilities for the team." After the new training facility opens, the Cowboys are "interested in holding 2-3 weeks of training camp in Oxnard followed by 1-2 weeks back home in their indoor stadium in Frisco" (STAR-TELEGRAM.com, 8/12).
