McKinney officials have signed off on a site plan for a new Chuy’s Tex Mex restaurant coming to the West Grove development along West University Drive.
In a nutshell
The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved the site plan April 28. Site plans are typically approved at the staff level but developers requested a five-foot reduction to the street landscape buffer, City Planner Jake Bennett said.
“When design exceptions such as these are requested they’re brought to [Planning and Zoning] for action,” he said.
City staff recommended approval of the design exception since it met criteria for buffer reductions in McKinney’s Unified Development Code, Bennett said. The site plan approval enables a reduction of the required landscape buffer from 25 feet to 20 feet along West University Drive. The commission had approved the same buffer reduction previously for two restaurants directly west of the proposed Chuy's location, Bennett said.
A closer look
Plans for the Chuy’s restaurant include a 6,555-square-foot building on a 1.92-acre site at 8405 W. University Drive. The restaurant, confirmed by officials in December, could complete construction before the end of 2026, according to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
Chuy’s was founded in 1982 in Austin and was acquired by Orlando-based Darden Restaurants in 2024. The restaurant’s menu includes a mix of Tex-Mex dishes like enchiladas, tacos, burritos, quesadillas and more. There are 10 Chuy’s locations across North Texas including locations in Frisco and Plano.
