FRISCO, Texas — Editor's note: This story was originally published in the Dallas Business Journal here.
Early construction is ramping up on the highly anticipated $550 million Universal Kids Resort in Frisco, including some of the utilities work.
Dallas-based Moss Utilities LLC has been hired as a utilities contractor for the project site, according to a Feb. 7 LinkedIn post shared by President Garrett Moss. Utility work for Moss often includes installing water pipes, setting up sewer services and building storm drains. It only handles wet utilities, not electric work.
"This is a big project for us with over 30,000 [linear feet] of pipe and lots of storm drainage and structures. We are excited for our first project with Balfour Beatty US,” Moss said in the post.
In the same post, Moss shared that his company will get started once McKinney-based RPM xConstruction completes some dirt work at the site. Moss Utilities did not respond to Dallas Business Journal's request for comment on securing the contract for the 97-acre Universal resort in northwest Frisco and what it entails.
It was not clear if an electrical utility contractor has been selected for the theme park.
Universal announced plans for its family-friendly park in January 2023. It is expected to have a smaller scale than Universal's huge parks in Orlando, Fla., and Los Angeles in order to accommodate younger guests. Plans call for rides, shows, restaurants and a 300-room resort hotel in a lush and colorful setting.
The corporate communications team for Universal Destinations & Experiences, the NBCUniversal division formerly called Universal Parks & Resorts, did not return an email requesting to confirm Moss Utilities as the site utilities contractor.
But the doling out of utilities contracts is significant because of the size and scope of the Universal project, which is set to add another major attraction and economic engine in Collin County.
The theme park will be part of a bigger 2,544-acre megaproject called Fields that is already home to the PGA of Americas headquarters, Omni PGA Frisco Resort and thousands of high-end residences. Fields also encompasses Fields West, a project by North Texas developer Fehmi Karahan who is likely best known as the master developer of Legacy West in Plano. Fields West is expected to include retail, restaurant and entertainment space as well as two hotels.
Moss Utilities is no stranger to taking on the utility work of big projects in Dallas-Fort Worth. According to its website, the company has handled utility work on commercial, multifamily and public works sites. It recently completed utility work on the Frisco Medical Pavilion on Panther Creek Parkway, where it installed the second-largest ACO Stormbrixx Detention System, a stormwater management system, in the United States.
Dallas-based Balfour Beatty US broke ground on the site in November. Universal’s first-of-its kind park in Frisco is slated to open sometime 2026.
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