Title
Conduct a Public Hearing to Consider/Discuss/Act on a Request to Rezone the Subject Property from “PD” - Planned Development District to PD” - Planned Development District, Generally to Allow for Commercial Uses and to Modify the Development Standards, Located on the Northwest Corner of North Central Expressway (U.S. Highway 75) and Laud Howell Parkway
Summary
COUNCIL GOAL: Direction for Strategic and Economic Growth
(1C: Provide a strong city economy by facilitating a balance between industrial, commercial, residential, and open space)
MEETING DATE: November 11, 2025
DEPARTMENT: Development Services - Planning Department
CONTACT: Kaitlin Sheffield, CNU-A, Chief Planner
Araceli Botello, CNU-A, Planner II
Caitlyn Strickland, AICP, Planning Manager
Lucas Raley, AICP, CNU-A, CFM, Director of Planning
APPROVAL PROCESS: The recommendation of the Planning and Zoning Commission will be forwarded to the City Council for final action at the December 2, 2025 meeting.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the proposed rezoning request with the following special ordinance provisions:
1. The subject property shall be zoned “PD” - Planned Development District and shall be subject to the following special ordinance provision:
a. The subject property shall develop in accordance with the attached development regulations.
APPLICATION SUBMITTAL DATE: July 18, 2025 (Original Application)
September 30, 2025 (Revised Submittal)
November 3, 2025 (Revised Submittal)
ITEM SUMMARY: The applicant requests to rezone approximately 39.5 acres of land, generally for commercial uses. More specifically, the proposed rezoning request modifies the maximum building height and landscape requirements.
EXISTING ZONING AND LAND USES:
|
Location |
Zoning District (Permitted Land Uses) |
Existing Land Use |
|
Subject Property |
“PD” - Planned Development District Ordinance No. 2021-05-051 (Commercial Uses) |
Undeveloped Land |
|
North |
“PD” - Planned Development District Ordinance No. 2021-05-051 (Open Space Uses) |
Undeveloped Land |
|
South |
“PD” - Planned Development District Ordinance No. 2025-03-024 (Multi-Family Residential and Commercial Uses) |
Undeveloped Land |
|
East |
City of McKinney ETJ |
Undeveloped Land |
|
West |
“PD” - Planned Development District Ordinance No. 2021-05-051 (Multi-Family Residential and Commercial Uses), “PD” - Planned Development District Ordinance No. 2025-03-024 (Multi-Family Residential and Commercial Uses) |
Undeveloped Land |
PROPOSED ZONING: Currently, the subject property is zoned “PD” - Planned Development District and allows for a variety of commercial uses. The applicant proposes to rezone the property to “PD” - Planned Development District with base zoning of “C3” - Regional Commercial District. The proposed zoning includes the following specific requests:
Maximum Building Height
• In “C3” - Regional Commercial District, the maximum height is 55 feet. The applicant requests to increase the height to 12 stories (210 feet) specifically for hospital, medical office, or clinic uses.
• Staff is supportive of the request given that the subject property is directly adjacent to North Central Expressway (U.S. Highway 75) and the requested height is limited to the development of a medical campus. All other uses will be limited to a maximum height of 55 feet.
Landscape Requirements
• Street Buffer
o In non-residential developments, the street buffer is required to be 25 feet wide when adjacent to a right-of-way width that is greater than 200 feet. For lots with multiple frontages, all frontages shall observe the greatest minimum street buffer width. The applicant proposes to increase the required street buffer along North Central Expressway (U.S. Highway 75) and Laud Howell Parkway to 30 feet for the development of hospital, medical office, or clinic uses.
o Staff is supportive of increasing the landscape street buffer width for the proposed development.
• Parking Area
o In the parking area of a non-residential development, every surface parking space is required to be located within 65 feet of a tree. The applicant proposes to increase the distance from 65 feet to 100 feet for the development of hospital, medical office, or clinic uses.
o Staff has no objections to this request as it provides the applicant the flexibility for tree placement, while meeting the intent of the ordinance.
Staff is supportive of the proposed request and modernizing the uses and development requirements to align with the Unified Development Code. Given the site’s location directly fronting onto a major regional highway and the requests’ alignment with the ONE McKinney 2040 Comprehensive, Staff is of the professional opinion that the request is appropriate and should help to further the commercial development potential of this area.
As such, Staff recommends approval of the proposed rezoning request.
CONFORMANCE TO THE ONE MCKINNEY 2040 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN: A key aspect of the ONE McKinney 2040 Comprehensive Plan is to provide direction related to desired development patterns in the city and to inform decisions related to the timing and phasing of future infrastructure investments. To assist in guiding these decisions, the plan includes a set of Guiding Principles that provide overall guidance and a Preferred Scenario and Land Use Diagram that illustrates the desired development patterns in the city. The Preferred Scenario and Land Use Diagram are built upon a series of distinctive districts, each with a specific purpose, focus and market. Each district consists of a mix of placetypes that identify the predominate land uses and desired pattern of development for the district.
• Guiding Principles:
The proposed rezoning request is generally in conformance with the Guiding Principle of “Diversity (Supporting our Economy and People)” established by the Comprehensive Plan. In particular, the proposed request has the potential to provide “[…] new businesses and developments that support economic engines, broaden the tax base, and make the city’s economy more adaptable and resilient.”
• Preferred Scenario and Land Use Diagram Characteristics:
Per the Preferred Scenario and Land Use Diagram, the subject property is located in the Honey Creek District and is designated as the Entertainment Center placetype.
Entertainment Centers are emerging commercial centers planned or developed with large-scale master plans. These centers include a horizontal mix of uses including destination retail, restaurants, employment opportunities, and commercial uses that serve a regional scale. Residential uses support these destination developments and offer a variety of urban housing products. The master plan for a regional entertainment center reinforces the interdependence of uses to create an experience for visitors in the development. The Entertainment Center may have a shopping center, lifestyle area, or something similar as a prominent feature.
• Land Use Diagram Compatibility:
When considering land use decisions, the City should determine that a project aligns with the Land Use Diagram and/or meets a majority of the plan’s established criteria to be considered compatible with the Land Use Diagram. The proposed rezoning request aligns with the Entertainment Center placetype of the Honey Creek District, is in conformance with the Land Use Diagram and should be compatible with the surrounding properties.
OPPOSITION TO OR SUPPORT OF REQUEST: Staff has received no letters of support to this request and no letters of opposition. This does not include emails or letters that may have been sent directly to members of the Council. As part of the Planning and Zoning Commission Public Hearing(s), Staff has not received any citizen comments through the online citizen portal.