City officials have signed off on new zoning for a 785-acre mixed-use development called Huntington Park which will be located north of US 380 in McKinney.
McKinney City Council members voted 5-1 to approve the zoning during a June 3 meeting. Council member Charlie Phillips voted against the motion.
The new development plans for a mix of single-family homes, townhomes, commercial space and urban multifamily units. The project is proposed by Dallas-based Billingsley Company, a development company that’s built multiple master-planned communities across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
About the project
The new zoning will allow for development of multifamily residential, single-family residential and commercial space and open space on about 785 acres north of US 380, according to city documents. The land uses would be broken into several different pods.
Single-family residential homes are planned for the west and south sides of the proposed development, according to a staff presentation. Urban multifamily units will be developed near the center with commercial space planned on the north and east sides.
There are triggers for developing the multifamily component. Single-family development will include a mix of townhomes and detached houses, according to the presentation.
The framework
Development of the multifamily component will be timed based on certain criteria. Site plans for any multifamily development cannot be submitted until the following criteria are met:
- A minimum of 12 acres of commercial development in pods 4 and 5 have an approved certificate of occupancy
- Either the section of US 380 bypass that bisects the Huntington Park development is under construction or a minimum of 100 acres of single family development have recorded a final plat.
City Planning Manager Caitlyn Strickland said staff were still supportive of the zoning request which was tabled by council members in May. Since the item was tabled, additional clarity has been added to the trigger for developing multifamily units as it relates to construction of the US 380 bypass, according to city documents.
Lucy Billingsley, partner at the Billingsley Company, said company officials have worked with staff over the past few weeks. If the zoning were denied, the company intended to sell the land off to single-family developers, she said.
The Billingsley Company’s master plan for the development gives it a chance to develop almost 800 acres with urban and commercial uses, she said.
“We are creating a place,” she said. “That is what we as a company love to do.”
What council members are saying
Council member Patrick Cloutier said the project was a benefit to McKinney and that he was grateful that project officials worked with city staff to bring it to the city.
“I’m grateful that you’re going to put such a magnificent product on the ground that it’s going to chase off all the drive-by builders,” Cloutier said.
Council member Geré Feltus said she was initially hesitant about the project because of its inclusion of plans for multifamily development. With the planned development zoning however, the city has some control over what is a great product, she said.
“I do appreciate your project, the quality of the project—what you have planned,” Feltus said. “I think it’s going to be beautiful. “I think it is much better than the options that we would face if we turned this project down.”
Feltus referred to Senate Bill 15 and Senate Bill 840 when talking about the project. Both bills have been passed by the Texas Senate and House of Representatives and have been sent to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk.
SB 15 would allow property owners to construct single-family homes on lots as small as 3,000 square feet without approval from the city. SB 840 would allow multifamily development in any office or commercial zoning districts by right.
While Feltus was initially hesitant about the project, those bills have shifted her stance on the project, she said. These are things McKinney will no longer have the ability to control without a planned development district zoning.
“Both of these bills have been signed by the senate and by the house and will be signed by the Governor,” Feltus said. “Our ability to control development is being removed even more.”
