Surf is officially on the way to suburbia: Cannon Beach, a $200 million surf-and-adventure resort, is set to break ground in McKinney next Monday. The 35-acre complex is planned for the northeast corner of Stacy Road and SH-121 and will feature a surf lagoon, a sandy beach and a full-service resort hotel wrapped in entertainment and retail space.
Developer Cole Cannon is pitching the project as more than just a fancy pool day. In a release cited by CultureMap Dallas, he said Cannon Beach will bring “the intersection of lifestyle and adrenaline” to the city. The rollout frames the resort as a regional draw with water attractions, year-round programming and private event space.
What’s Included On Site
The plan pairs major water features with a full slate of family-friendly entertainment. According to project presentations and McKinney Community Development Corporation grant materials summarized by Community Impact, the resort is expected to include:
- A surf lagoon connected to a sandy beach
- A lazy river
- A deep cliff-diving pool
- A stationary surf wave
- Cabanas and on-site food service
- Indoor attractions such as a movie theater, skate park, bowling alley and a health club
Developer materials also call for office and retail space aimed at capturing both visitor spending and everyday business activity, turning the resort into a mixed-use campus rather than a single-purpose water park.
Size And Schedule
The project covers roughly 35 acres and has been described as about a $200 million investment, according to earlier reporting from The Dallas Morning News. Reporting has not been perfectly in sync on lagoon size: some early descriptions put it at about four acres, while more recent developer materials list a roughly three-acre lagoon. Officially, everyone involved says the first phase could open after the initial buildout is complete.
The project announcement states that development agreements were executed in May 2025 and include infrastructure assistance, tax reimbursements and land acquisition support, according to CultureMap Dallas.
Public Money And The City’s Role
City entities are already on the hook financially. The McKinney Community Development Corporation has approved a $4 million project grant to help pay for site infrastructure, according to Community Impact. City and developer materials outline potential incentives and additional infrastructure assistance tied to performance metrics the city uses to calculate net benefit.
“This groundbreaking marks an important moment for our city’s future,” McKinney Mayor Bill Cox said in the project announcement, signaling city hall’s bet that Cannon Beach will pay off in tourism and tax revenue.
How It Fits In North Texas
Cannon Beach is part of a small wave of inland surf destinations popping up around the country. The Cannon Development Group opened a similar mixed-use site in Mesa, Arizona, late last year, according to reporting by The Real Deal.
McKinney officials argue that the blend of attractions, event space and office square footage is designed to generate hotel stays and retail spending across the city, rather than act as a strictly seasonal amenity. Planners say the goal is a blended leisure-and-business model that brings in visitor traffic while also supporting local jobs.
Next Steps
The ceremonial groundbreaking is set for next Monday, with the developer saying the first phase could be ready by mid-2027, according to the project’s release and regional coverage. Residents and nearby businesses can track upcoming city and MEDC agendas for site-plan approvals, incentive agreements and construction permits as the project moves from photo-op to actual dirt work.
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