Frisco is shaking off its suburban image and creating a couple of new developments you would expect to see in Downtown Dallas. One example of this urban focus is the planned development of two new mixed-use high-rise buildings, Frisco Station and The Star in Frisco.

The Star in Frisco is the new world headquarters for the Dallas Cowboys. The 91-acre campus already includes plans for the new Cowboys practice facility and corporate offices, as well as an indoor football stadium, an entertainment district containing shops and restaurants, a sports medical center, and an Omni Hotel location. The latest update states the project will also include at least 17 stories of residential space.

Frisco Station plans to incorporate two hotels, retail and restaurants, nearby health and wellness facilities, and onsite office buildings that will employ nearly 15,000 workers. Current construction on this project includes a seven-story office building. Located next door to The Star, it will share many of that project’s same amenities. According to the development’s website, Frisco Station will have 302 apartments ready for occupancy by early 2018.

Both The Star and Frisco Station will have easy access to major thoroughfares Sam Rayburn Tollway and Dallas North Tollway. However, both facilities are designed to make it possible to live, work, and shop in an urban-center environment, which may reduce the need for long commutes.

Most new high-rise developments are still in neighborhoods closer to Dallas’ core, such as Downtown or Uptown. But the growth of northern suburbs like Frisco and Plano is increasing demand for multi-use buildings that are more walkable and urban in character.

 Frisco and Plano are both rapidly expanding employment centers. Although most residents of these areas are still expected to show preference for traditional suburban housing, these high-rise developments will bring additional options to the area.