McKinney council approves downtown sleeping ban and citywide camping limits, adopts ‘Better Together’ principles

The McKinney City Council on Oct. 21 adopted a resolution supporting the "Better Together" initiative and approved two related ordinances aimed at regulating camping and sleeping in public spaces.

The council voted to adopt a downtown-focused "physical occupancy" ordinance that makes it unlawful to sleep or lie down in certain public rights-of-way in the city's MTC (downtown) zoning district, and separately approved a citywide ordinance that clarifies and expands the city's camping prohibitions, including a provision that in some places will bar overnight sleeping in vehicles. Both ordinances include a one-year sunset clause for reevaluation.

Why it matters: The measures — which city staff described as "tools in the toolbox" to address visible homelessness and downtown safety concerns — set new enforcement parameters that will affect where people may sleep in public and how property owners and police respond. Supporters argued the city needs clearer options to protect downtown businesses and residents; opponents said the ordinances risk criminalizing people who are experiencing homelessness and push vulnerable residents farther from services.

City staff, led by Jennifer Arnold, described the two ordinances as companion pieces to the council's resolution. "This physical occupancy... would make it an unlawful for somebody to sleep, or lie down in public spaces," Arnold said, noting the downtown ordinance applies only to streets, sidewalks, medians, parkways and pedestrian rights-of-way within the MTC district and includes limited allowances for benches and architectural seating.

The citywide camping amendment moves existing park-focused camping rules into Chapter 70 of the code, clarifies…