The core of McKinney, Texas, a historic downtown area that epitomizes the city's vibrant past, is undergoing a significant redevelopment. The city emphasizes the importance of community involvement and transparency in carrying out this transformation, as stated in the Dallas Morning News report.
Four city-owned properties in downtown McKinney will undergo redevelopment. The public has been invited to offer input on the selected development teams on November 28. At a public event held at City Hall, these teams will present their initial plans for the properties. After the presentations, attendees will interact directly with the teams.
"This is a unique opportunity where the public actually gets to rub elbows with the development teams that will help reshape the future of downtown McKinney," stated Michael Quint, Executive Director of Development Services, per the Dallas Morning News.
Many residents of McKinney are invested in maintaining the historical character of the downtown area while facilitating its growth. Back in January 2023, the City Council solidified its plan to engage in a public-private partnership for the redevelopment of these city properties. This maneuver was aimed at enhancing public participation throughout the redevelopment, according to the Community Impact Newspaper report.
Projected to open in early 2025, the new City Hall will inititate a series of relocations, creating room for the ongoing redevelopment. In addition to the public event on November 28, the community can share their thoughts via an online survey open until 8 a.m. on November 29. Insights gathered from this and prior activities will be integral to shaping the redevelopment project.
"The preliminary concepts are very much subject to change as they go through the public input process," Quint stated. He further added that the "actual results of what gets built on the property may be radically different because these designs were created in a vacuum with no input from staff, no input from the Council, and no input from the residents," per the Dallas Morning News.
From the North Texas area, the groups charged with the redevelopment include Hines Interests LP from Dallas, M2G Ventures LLC from Fort Worth, and Nack Development LLC from Frisco. Along with public documents like the city's unified development code, comprehensive plan, and the Town Center study, feedback from the City Council and the public has been made available to these teams to optimize their proposals.
City Manager Paul Grimes expressed the need to include the people, stating, "The redevelopment of these properties will be very impactful, and we want to make sure the public has a chance to weigh in on the development teams and their visions." He added, "Because the redevelopment of these properties will help shape the future of our downtown, it's important to the city's leadership to hear from the public as we select our development partner," according to the Community Impact Newspaper.
