McKinney’s Unified Development Code is being changed in order to comply with new development requirements passed down from the state earlier this year.

McKinney City Council approved the changes during a Sept. 16 meeting after three bills passed the Texas Legislature and became law earlier this month. The bills limit the city’s ability to regulate multifamily development and single-family lot sizes.

In a nutshell

Council members considered the amendments less than a week after McKinney’s Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval. City Planning Manager Hayley Angel presented the proposed amendments again during the Sept. 16 meeting.

Multiple changes were passed to comply with three bills: Senate Bill 840, Senate Bill 15 and House Bill 24. SB 840 and SB 15 only apply to cities with a population higher than 150,000 that are located within a county with a population higher than 350,000.


In response to SB 840, council members approved changes including:
  • Changing the name of the “MF-30” multifamily district to “MF-36” to reflect new density requirements
  • Removing the “FR” flex residential zoning district
  • Modifying definitions, criteria and permitted zoning districts for multifamily traditional and multifamily cottage uses
  • Changing parking requirements for multifamily developments
In response to SB 15, changes included:
  • Adding an “R3” residential zoning district with minimum dimensional standards required for small-lot single-family development
  • Adding single-family attached and single-family detached uses for small-lot residential development
In response to HB 24, changes included:
  • Increasing the number of days from seven to 10 for posting a zoning notification sign before a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting
  • Requiring an internet notice for certain zoning changes
Council members also approved language changes suggested by staff in response to two bills: House Bill 2464 and Senate Bill 1567.

Quote of note

Council member Michael Jones broke down each bill briefly before the council voted. He said the changes coming to residential development are coming from the state and not from the City Council. For instance, SB 840 will allow apartments by right in commercial properties, he said.

“These are the people you elected from the state,” he said. “When you see these pop up now, it’s not because of us. It’s because of your elected officials in the state.”