Council OKs proposed apartments near McKinney ISD Stadium

Plans are in motion to develop the land surrounding the McKinney ISD Stadium and event center.

On July 19, McKinney City Council approved a request to develop proposed apartments on about 12 acres located 950 feet east of Hardin Boulevard along McKinney Ranch Parkway. The site is undeveloped.

The property is already zoned to allow for multifamily residential with up to 24 units per acre, city staff stated. Rather than developing a mixed-use property with commercial and office, the applicant instead requested a mix of housing units, encompassing single-family attached townhomes and multifamily units. The applicant proposed 358 units to accompany the project, a request of 13 additional units than the current zoning allows.

The proposal included that units along the north side of the property would be two stories, and then further south of the project the units would be three stories. Amenities with the project would include a residential amenity center, fitness facility, business center and a luxury swimming pool, according to meeting documents.

“With a demand for housing in this area, this development will provide much needed high-quality residential options,” the letter of intent stated.

City staff noted a request from the McKinney Planning & Zoning Commission that the project not be required to develop a commercial site on the property as well, which the city’s future land use plan called for. While the developer Fairfield had proposed to introduce 5,000 square feet of commercial services to the site, commissioners were concerned that the commercial spaces may sit empty since the location does not have a lot of visibility or traffic. Council ultimately agreed with this assessment and struck that requirement.

As a result, the development will increase in density to 27 units per acre as more units are added to the space initially designated for commercial use.

Council approved the project unanimously.