The Honey Creek development located in north McKinney will span over 1,650 acres, according to city documents. The McKinney Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended approval of a zoning request for the project at an Aug. 27 meeting.
The gist
The zoning request presented would enact zoning for over 2.5 square miles of land in the proposed district, which is located west of US 75 and north of US 380, near Erwin Park. The zoning would divide the property into five districts with individual designations, including:
- Gateway East, with a sub-area called Town Center
- Regional Hub
- Lakeview, with a sub-area called Parkside District
- Gateway West
- Creekside
The zoning request would establish a Planned Development zoning type, which would implement development standards for the district, including allowed residential and commercial building standards. The site currently has a mix of zoning types, including Planned Center, Office, Single Family Residential and unincorporated land in the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, according to meeting documents.
The development could include as many as 10,500 homes in a mix of housing types, including both single-family and multifamily units, city documents state. It will also include a minimum of 80 acres of land for commercial uses.
Multiple locations throughout the property will be dedicated for public land that can be used for parks, fire stations and a future school site, Bennett said.
The project is being developed by Dallas-based Republic Property Group, which has also developed other master-planned communities in the area, such as:
- Light Farms in Celina
- Phillips Creek Ranch in Frisco
- Stonebridge Ranch in McKinney
- Walsh in Fort Worth
“It’s an effort to bring everything to being modern, and we think it will be a well-thought-out and well-implemented master-planned community,” said Jim Henry, senior vice president of community operations for Republic Property Group, about the zoning request.
The context
City Council members first considered the proposed district at a December 2022 meeting, where Republic Property Group co-CEO and partner Jake Wagner presented details on the project.
Wagner said the project would include residential, commercial and office buildings as well as other amenities, parks, trails and open space. Additionally, the project would include the expansion of Laud Howell Parkway and other infrastructure improvements.
Council members approved a resolution that expressed support for the creation of the district as part of the consent agenda at a Feb. 6 meeting. The district is required to be created by the state Legislature, Wagner said at the December 2022 meeting.
A utility impact fee credit agreement for the project was also approved by the council at a Sept. 3 meeting, which includes the construction of water and wastewater utility lines for the Honey Creek development, city documents state.
The city has two existing special districts, McKinney Municipal Utility Districts 1 and 2, which encompass the Trinity Falls development. Collin County has 16 special districts, according to the Texas Association of Counties.
Looking ahead
The zoning request will be considered by McKinney City Council members at a Sept. 17 meeting. The council will also consider an annexation request to allow about 53 acres of land to be annexed into city limits as part of the development, Bennett said.
A development agreement between the city and the developer that will determine the development of infrastructure, parkland and the special district designation is also being developed, meeting documents state.
If council members grant approval for the zoning, Henry said the development firm would begin right-of-way acquisition and the design for the Laud Howell Parkway extension. The roadway extension could be complete by the end of 2027, he said.
The first neighborhood in the district would begin development in late 2025 or early 2026, with lots being delivered 18-24 months after, Henry said.
