Council approves multiple planning items: industrial rezoning, Cotton Mill site plan, Billingsley mixed‑use plan; annexation hearing continued

McKINNEY, Texas — The City Council acted on several land-use items at its June meeting, approving a mix of rezonings and site plans and tabling an annexation request for later consideration.

Rezoning near the airport: Council voted to rezone a 9.26‑acre property along the new Spur 399 and adjacent to the airport from agriculture to light industrial (staff recommended approval). Planning staff said the request aligned with the city’s comprehensive plan and the aviation and business place type.

Cotton Mill site plan and design exceptions: Council considered a site-plan reapproval for the Cotton Mill mixed‑use project at SE corner of State Highway 5 and Elm Street. The site plan originally was approved in July 2023 and had since expired (site plans expire two years after approval if no building permit is pulled). Applicant representatives said they had been working with staff on infrastructure and utility alignment and requested council reapproval to preserve the approved plan while permitting staff to continue infrastructure coordination. Staff noted outstanding concerns about building form, site development standards and height; the applicant confirmed the development team has been working with staff to resolve those matters. Council moved to close the public hearing and approved the site‑plan item.

Billingsley / Bloomdale mixed‑use PD: Council reopened and approved a planned-development rezoning for a Billingsley/Southern Land mixed‑use master plan on Bloomdale Road after the applicant and staff resolved language clarifying timing and alignment for the 380 bypass road and other commitments. During discussion staff warned of recent state legislation that will change local control over where multifamily housing may be built and maximum lot‑size rules; staff said those bills (noted in the meeting as SB 840 and SB 15) were awaiting the governor’s signature and could limit cities’ ability to restrict multifamily density in certain commercial and large‑tract areas. The applicant presented the master plan and emphasized the project’s scale and expected long‑term private investment.

Annexation hearing continued: A petition to annex a property north of County Road 124 was put on the agenda but staff recommended and council approved tabling the public hearing and related zoning request to the June 17 council meeting.

Several council members and commenters raised concerns about infrastructure capacity, density and timing for road and utility construction; one resident urged careful, “smart growth” to retain McKinney’s character. The approvals were recorded in open session; specific roll-call vote tallies by name were not read into the audio transcript for all items.