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Council tables rezoning of Old Mill/Airport property to I‑1 after residents raise drainage, trees and traffic concerns
Summary
A request to rezone about 10.6 acres near Airport Drive and Old Mill Road from agricultural to light industrial (I‑1) was tabled so the applicant and staff can pursue a plan development (PD) option to capture design and screening commitments after neighbors raised issues about drainage, trees, lighting and access.
The council on March 4 tabled consideration of a rezoning request to change roughly 10.6 acres on the northwest corner of Airport Drive and Old Mill Road from Agriculture to I‑1 (light industrial) after residents and council members sought additional design guarantees and infrastructure assurances.
Jennifer Arnold, director of planning, said the tract sits south of the airport and within McKinney’s Business and Aviation District of the comprehensive plan and that staff and the planning commission recommended approval. The applicant’s representative, Tom Murray, said the prospective user would be a telecom service facility (AT&T) with an approximately 30,000‑square‑foot warehouse/administrative building and parking and fleet service vehicle storage; he estimated about $5,000,000 of added taxable value.
Nearby residents — Georgine and Lawrence Wood, Julie Cox, Eric Santana and others — told council they bought homes decades ago for their rural setting and to look out on an orchard of pecan trees; they raised concerns about tree removal, dust, drainage that currently runs down the east side of their properties, nighttime lighting, noise, and the lack of safe pedestrian facilities. Several residents urged that the city require a higher quality design that preserves trees and addresses drainage and access.
Staff and engineers answered technical questions. Jennifer Arnold said screening, landscaping, paved parking and containment of outdoor storage would be required by code when a nonresidential use is adjacent to single‑family residential uses. Gary Graham, director of engineering, said the Spur 399 extension and TxDOT timing remain uncertain (city staff anticipates an FY28–29 construction window but has no firm date from TxDOT) and that the city would require onsite civil improvements — including drainage and frontage improvements — as part of any development. Arnold noted specimen trees (42‑inch caliper and larger) are subject to the city’s tree preservation rules and that removing those trees requires payment or replacement under the ordinance.
Council members debated the balance between property rights and neighborhood protection. Several council members suggested that a Planned Development (PD) approach would allow negotiated design commitments such as enhanced screening, lighting controls, and tree preservation measures rather than a straight‑zone approval. Mayor and council then voted to table the rezoning and asked the applicant to work with staff on a PD proposal that could include specific design standards protecting adjacent residences.
Action: The council voted to table agenda item 250005Z2 (rezoning to I‑1). The table motion and second were recorded and the motion passed; the transcript does not show a roll‑call tally.
Next steps: The applicant and staff will explore a PD option to identify site layout, screening, tree preservation, drainage mitigation and lighting commitments before the council takes action on a formal rezoning.
