‘More than a highway’: Allen, McKinney officials launch 121 North corridor initiative

A branding initiative for the SH 121 corridor between Allen and McKinney is posing the area as a focal point for economic growth in both cities.

The Allen and McKinney Economic Development Corp.’s launched a branding initiative called 121 North in May. The initiative’s goal is to highlight growth and opportunity along the corridor.

Among the advantages listed with the initiative’s interactive online map and project highlights are mixed-use development The Farm and concert venue Sunset Amphitheater.

“It’s yet another example of how reaching across our boundaries to our partners to do something for the region is delivering great results,” MEDC President and CEO Michael Kowski said.

These projects spanning two cities across a single highway made the partnership “a huge and exciting opportunity,” AEDC President and CEO Dan Bowman said.

“The 121 North corridor is where two of Collin County’s most purposeful cities share more than a highway,” the website states. “They share a commitment to intentional growth, coordinated planning and a quality of life that companies and families are actively choosing over bigger, louder alternatives.”

The specifics

The initiative brands the area as an entertainment district, with planned uses including Kalahari’s waterpark and arcade as well as the 3-acre surf lagoon at Cannon Beach.

“Our main goal, for both Allen and McKinney, is to serve as a business recruitment tool,” Bowman said. “We want people [and] companies that are coming and looking at the North Texas region, or looking at relocations within the region as well, to see 121 North as a collective option for both of them, whether they're on the Allen side or the McKinney side.”

The branding initiative is intended to signal to developers that there is an “intentional plan” for the corridor, Kowski said.

“There’s very few corridors in the entire country that are seeing as much activity as this one stretch of road,” Kowski said.

MEDC owns several properties along the corridor, including 46 acres near the corner of Lake Forest Drive and SH 121. MEDC officials are in active negotiations with a development group regarding that property, Kowski said.

The corporation also owns land next to Hub 121, the future Cannon Beach surf resort and the McKinney National Airport. Owning the land allows city officials to be more intentional with its development, Kowski said.

McKinney- and Allen-area developer Bucky Gillett said the joint effort between the two cities will help attract businesses to the area.

“Anything that helps drive business this way is a positive thing,” he said.

Key updates

More than 20 projects are actively under development or being planned along the SH 121 corridor, according to a news release.

Check out these project updates on developments along the SH 121 corridor. This list is not comprehensive.

1. 121 Tech Park

• Developer: Stillwater Capital
• Details: 250,000 square feet of office space, 740,000 square feet of tech flex space, 30,000 square feet of space for restaurant and retail uses, and 129 townhomes on about 80 acres
• Timeline: Completion slated for early 2028

• Developer: North American Properties
• Details: 650,000 square feet of office space, 147,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space including a Katy Trail Ice House and 1,300 urban residential units on 75 acres
• Timeline: The project is estimated 7-8 years to full build-out. Groundbreaking for Katy Trail Ice House, a restaurant, is planned for 2026, Bowman said. The Twin Creeks Active Adult Community is also expected to break ground later this year, said Joey Pellicone with North American Properties.

• Developer: Thakkar Developers
• Details: 1 million square feet of office space, 275,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, 1,600 urban residential units, 150 single-family homes and 300 hotel rooms
• Timeline: Phase 1 under construction

• Developer: Trammell Crow Company
• Project: townhomes, apartments, a hotel, a grocery store and office space on 60 acres
• Timeline: Estimated 5 years to full build-out

• Developer: JaRyCo Development
• Details: 1.6 million square feet of office space, 200,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, 2,400 urban residential units, 112 townhomes and 150 hotel rooms
• Timeline: Completion in next 3-5 years

• Developer: Kalahari Resorts and Conventions
• Details: $950 million resort with 900 guest rooms, over 165,000 square feet of convention space and 75,000 square feet of restaurant space
• Timeline: Estimated opening in 2030

• Developer: Billingsley Company
• Details: 6.1 million square feet of office space, 120,000 square feet of retail space, 4,000 urban residential units, 400+ hotel rooms
• Timeline: Build-out of project Phase 1A estimated in 2028

8. 121 Commerce Park

• Developer: VanTrust
• Details: Over 750,000 square feet of industrial space across five buildings
• Timeline: Opening second quarter of 2027

• Developer: Cannon Development Group
• Details: Surf park with a 3-acre surf lagoon, beach, lazy river, restaurants, retail and family entertainment space, 150 hotel rooms
• Timeline: Opening mid-2027

• Developer: Venu
• Details: 20,000-seat amphitheater, 290+ firepit suites
• Timeline: Opening summer 2027

The branding initiative aims to drive even more development to the corridor. Bowman said this is important because the SH 121 corridor represents about 5% of the city’s land mass but has large economic potential.

“The financial piece will be huge because, again, it’s disproportionately more growth that we have the opportunity for on [SH] 121 than other parts of the city,” he said.

The tax dollars that stand to be gained from development along the corridor serve as one of the city’s main funding sources for infrastructure projects and city services.

“Sales and property taxes are the way that we as a local city get most of the dollars that we use to do everything from filling potholes [to] building roads, hiring police and fire [staff]. ... A lot of sales tax opportunities up there,” Bowman said of the corridor.

“These companies, when they look at a location, they don't see city borders the way we do,” Bowman said. “The assets and developments and companies that we have between the north and south sides of [SH] 121, when you look at them in whole, are just staggering.”

Looking ahead

The projects along both sides of SH 121 will be developed in phases. Some restaurants, office space and multifamily units are now open, including entertainment venue The Hub at The Farm and multifamily community Hartwood at Sloan Corners, while other concepts are underway, such as the Katy Trail Ice House restaurant at Allen Gateway, which is expected to break ground in late 2026, Bowman said.

Developers and McKinney officials broke ground on the Cannon Beach surf resort in 2025. The $200 million project’s first phase is expected to open in mid-2027. Bowman expects the corridor’s economic development and unique entertainment vision to “come to fruition.”

“I think people will say all of this feels like multiple cities within a city, and that it was done in a cohesive way, instead of piecemeal,” Bowman said.

For more information on the 121 North initiative, visit www.121northtx.com.