McKinney City Council members unanimously approved a development agreement for the project as well as related zoning and annexation requests at a Sept. 17 meeting.
The gist
The Honey Creek development located in north McKinney will span over 1,650 acres, according to city documents.
The approved zoning request implements zoning for the proposed district, which is located west of US 75 and north of US 380, near Erwin Park. The zoning divides 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 implemented includes uses such as single-family and multifamily residential, retail, office, parkland and civic land, according to city documents.
“The existing zoning on the property is actually very similar to what is being proposed tonight,” Director of Planning Jennifer Arnold said at the Sept. 17 meeting. “It’s getting cleaned up quite a bit to be a bit more modern and it is reallocating where some of those uses are permitted on the tract, but the heart of the existing zoning and this new zoning are actually very similar.”
The development could include as many as 10,500 homes in a mix of housing types, including both single-family and multifamily unit types, city documents state. It will also include a minimum of 80 acres of land for commercial uses.
An annexation request approved by council members also brought roughly 53 acres of land included in the district into city limits, which also had zoning established as part of the approvals, city documents state.
Diving in deeper
The development agreement approved by council members, which outlines development of some infrastructure within the district, includes stipulations that some pieces of property will be dedicated to the city for various uses, such as:
- A water storage tank
- A fire station
- Parks and a parks maintenance facility
- A 10-acre parcel for municipal uses
Other obligations outlined in the agreement include the developer constructing various water and sewer lines throughout the property, as well as construction of various roadways. An extension of Laud Howell Parkway will be constructed as part of the development, as well as portions of Hardin Boulevard, Taylor Burk Drive, CR 168/Weston Road and Bloomdale Road, the agreement states.
Quote of note
“Honey Creek is a big deal,” council member Patrick Cloutier said. “Around 1980, some City Council passed Stonebridge Ranch. This is going to be bigger. This is going to be ... amazing and some of the most beautiful land in the city of McKinney. It’s going to be great homes for great, contributing people.”
Zooming out
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
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.
Looking ahead
Jim Henry, senior vice president of community operations for Republic Property Group, said at the Aug. 27 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting that the development firm would begin right-of-way acquisition and the design for the Laud Howell Parkway extension following approval of the requests at the Sept. 17 meeting. 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.
