In a nutshell
Engineering Director Gary Graham made a presentation to McKinney City Council during a March 31 work session. After a round of questions from council members Patrick Cloutier and Justin Beller, the council agreed with plans to restrict parking on some streets in downtown McKinney.
The proposed changes will result in the loss of 33 unmarked spaces that are actively used, according to a staff presentation:
- Seven spaces on North Wood Street
- Nine spaces on East Lamar Street
- Eight spaces on South Church Street
- Nine spaces on West Davis Street
What they’re saying
The roads were selected because they’re less than 30 feet wide, according to the staff presentation. No parking signs will be installed in areas with current active parking. Parking will still be allowed in marked spaces, Graham said.
Staff proposed changes to parking in the downtown core area in order to enhance circulation and improve visitor experience, Graham said. The changes were also proposed to prepare for future infrastructure projects such as the Lower 5 Plaza project, according to the presentation.
“We’ve done a lot of data collection,” Graham said. “We’ve gone out and collected all the street widths so we know what kind of street we’re working with.”
City staff will also establish fire lanes with no parking allowed on alley-width streets.
A double yellow centerline will be added to circulatory streets including:
- Lamar Street
- Hunt Street
- Davis Street
- Church Street
- Chestnut Street
What they're saying
Cloutier said the timing for the proposal was “outstanding.”
“I think we’re at a period of time where we have more parking available on the square than we ever have because of moving City Hall,” he said.
Cloutier said he appreciated the work that’s being proposed for Wood Street because he has wondered why people park their cars there. He asked Graham if the townhome residents on Lamar Street have alternative parking available.
Graham said the townhome does have an alternative parking location but the residents might feel some impact. Residents might move to parking on Chestnut Street north of Lamar, he said.
Council member Beller asked if additional wayfinding signage would be added to the downtown area to complement the circulation in the area.
Graham said as part of the city’s wayfinding project, additional signage will be installed in the area to help improve circulation. Those signs are being manufactured currently, he said.
Beller said he agrees with Patrick that downtown McKinney has lots of spots available right now. The biggest issue for people coming downtown who he talks to is the angst of finding a spot.
“They always go for the same spot or they’re not down there frequently enough to kind of know the tricks of where to find spots,” he said. “So they go to one spot and then they panic and they get nervous and they start circling the square a bunch of times which doesn’t help anybody.”
