In 2020 Tupps Brewery entered into a partnership with the city of McKinney and the McKinney Community Development Corp. to renovate the city’s historic grain site and allow Tupps to expand its brewery operations as well as add more entertainment options.
As part of the initial agreement, the MCDC said it would provide $11.3 million to Tupps for the project. Tupps Brewery would then enter into a long-term lease for the space, with the option to own. The agreement also includes a 2% revenue share with the city.
However, plans for the new brewery location at the historic McKinney grain site at the corner of Greenville Road and Dungan Street have grown, Tupps President Keith Lewis said during a Dec. 7 meeting with the McKinney City Council and the McKinney Community Development Corp. The concept plan presented in March 2020 consisted of 35,000 square feet of space. This has increased to 42,000 square feet of space as of November this year, Lewis said. The project consists of open lawn spaces, patios with fire pits, shade structures in the beer garden, a game lawn, a kids play area, a stage near the event lawn and the new brewery, according to meeting documents.
The project could have been bigger, Lewis said. To cut costs, he removed 6,000 square feet from the brewery site plan, including removing the commercial kitchen. However, some space on the east side of the project allows for some flexibility to add that commercial kitchen back to the plan, should it be necessary, he said. Tupps will, however, have a smaller kitchen to prepare food on-site, Lewis said.
“We feel even with the cuts we’ve made the integrity and customer experience haven’t changed dramatically,” Lewis said during the meeting.
With the project growing, City Council and the MCDC decided to amend the lease agreement between the MCDC and Tupps Brewery to increase the funding the MCDC is providing to $13.33 million and to include additional lease provisions to meet the project costs.
Council Member Rainey Rogers and Lewis emphasized that the city and the MCDC are not “giving” any money to the Tupps project.
“We are signing up for debt,” Lewis said.
Mayor George Fuller said he has supported this project since the beginning and is more so supportive of it now. Even though Tupps’ ask on the project has increased, the scope of the project is larger, which increases the value of the project. Projects across the world are also increasing in costs, he said. He also pointed out that Tupps will pull people to the east side of SH 5.
“None of this even begins to discuss the catalyst nature of what this project brings that is going to be tremendously influential on the east side,” Fuller said.
Members of the MCDC also spoke in support of the project. Chair of the MCDC Angela Richardson-Woods said Tupps had options to explore when looking to expand, and she was grateful Tupps chose to remain in McKinney.
“It’s a win-win for everybody,” Lewis said.
