McKinney City Council members expressed support for a site plan for the planned expansion during a Jan. 7 work session meeting. The terminal could be operational as soon as 2026, a city news release states.
The gist
The terminal will include three gates with the ability to expand to five gates, the release states.
The terminal will be a ground-loading facility, Mitchell McAnally said, who is a senior project manager at Garver, the firm that serves as the engineer of record for the airport. The ground-loading style allows for dual loading, which is when passengers load from the front and back of the plane. McAnally said this is a more efficient loading process and is preferred by some airlines.
Other planned features include a quick-service concessions stand with food and beverage options, open hold rooms for passengers, a rental car lot and ride-share drop off location, according to a presentation at the meeting.
The facility will also include a 1,500-spot parking lot, six aircraft parking positions for both commercial and general aviation uses, an aircraft de-icing facility, above-ground fuel storage tanks and other supportive infrastructure.
The project also includes the addition of Taxiway C, a taxiway on the east side of the existing runway, and a roundabout off of FM 546 that will provide access to the airport. The airport will see about 170 cars heading to the airport during peak hours, he said, noting that the roundabout will have the least impact on the flow of traffic along the roadway.
The release states that McKinney is “uniquely positioned to sustain commercial passenger service,” and the addition of the facility will offer convenience for residents of McKinney and neighboring communities.
“Maximizing the commercial value of McKinney National Airport has long been a priority of the City of McKinney and City Council, and this demonstrates their commitment to helping the airport realize its full potential as an asset to the region,” said Ken Carley, Director of McKinney National Airport, in the release. “As we continue to expand and improve our facilities and services on the east side, we are confident our airport will bring significant economic benefits, including increased job opportunities, new businesses, and enhanced quality of life for our community.”
City officials are in negotiations with two airlines interested in bringing passenger service to McKinney, the release states. Initial plans include estimates of 200,000 passengers annually and an average of three daily departures. The terminal could see as many as 1 million passengers served annually by its fifth year of operations.
Diving in deeper
The project is expected to cost $72 million, which will cover the cost of constructing the terminal building and other supportive infrastructure.
City officials are also working to secure other federal and state grants to contribute to project costs, the release states.
The project update comes less than two years after McKinney residents voted against a $200 million bond proposition that would have contributed funding to the project.
The bond proposition was presented to voters to fund a roughly $300 million version of the commercial passenger terminal during the May 2023 election. Nearly 59% of voters opposed the proposition, which ultimately failed.
City Council members directed the city manager to pursue grant funding from the McKinney Community Development Corporation and the McKinney Economic Development Corporation for planning and design of the infrastructure on the east side of the airport in February. The organizations contributed a total of $5.5 million following board approvals at meetings held in the spring.
“We’ve continued to advance the project based on council’s initiatives and design a much smaller scale project,” Carley said to council members at the meeting. “Today you’ll see a project of about $72 million that really focuses on a Phase 1 proof of concept, what is needed day one to get airlines in and operating in McKinney.”
Council members also approved a rezoning request that also helps to enable the construction of the terminal at a Dec. 3 meeting.
Quote of note
“The terminal we designed before was great, it was a beautiful terminal ... With the failure of that bond, we were given the task of continuing forward with the airport and looking at what could happen on the east side of the airport but also doing so in a way that was a little more affordable and would not use property tax-backed debt in order to fund the construction,” Assistant City Manager Barry Shelton said of the new expansion plan at the meeting.
Looking ahead
The design of the project is underway, and the site plan will be considered by the McKinney Planning and Zoning Commission at a Jan. 14 meeting. The site plan will be accompanied by some requests for design exceptions, including changes to the tree requirement in the airport’s parking lot, city documents state.
Construction on the project is expected to begin in May and commercial service could begin in late 2026, the release states.
To learn more about McKinney National Airport, visit www.flytki.com.
