McKinney council narrowly approves McDonald’s ‘on the go’ drive‑through at 3300 Virginia Parkway after traffic debate

Council heard staff and applicant presentations, resident objections and a split council debate before approving a specific‑use permit (SUP) for a McDonald’s 'on the go' drive‑through at 3300 Virginia Parkway.

Lucas Raley, director of planning, told the council the proposed drive‑through requires a specific‑use permit under the PD zoning for the parcel and that staff reviewed the application against packet materials and recommended approval. Leslie Ford, representing the applicant and the property owner, described site changes since a prior denial, said the current proposal includes a deceleration lane on the north side of Virginia and 15 car drive‑through stacking on site, and argued traffic mitigation options such as closing the shared access to Bonnie Wenk Park would be a disproportionate or counterproductive fix.

Ford also said the applicant’s traffic engineer reviewed crash records and reported “2 crashes that have happened since the 20— the 2020 year” in the study window and noted those were the only reportable crashes found through Dec. 17, 2025. She argued that, compared with a drive‑through coffee shop that could be built by right, the McDonald’s 'on the go' concept is similar or smaller in footprint and may generate fewer morning peak trips.

A nearby resident, who identified herself as Sarah, urged council to reject the SUP, saying she is “very familiar with this intersection” and that “trying to get out of that Walmart is already sketchy,” adding that placing a high‑volume restaurant there would be “just asking for more trouble.” Luke Stainback, the owner’s broker, countered that a coffee shop by right could produce heavier morning traffic and that the applicant had consulted engineers and staff about mitigation.

Council debate focused on safety at the curve, sight lines and whether denying this proposal would prevent another high‑traffic use from occupying the site. City staff (identified in the meeting as Gary/ Mr. Quint) said traffic volumes on Virginia Parkway were about 39,000 vehicles per day in the last count (2023) and that the city had trimmed trees and improved site visibility; staff also said no traffic signal is currently planned for the Bonnie Wenk driveway and that signal warrants may not be met.

Mayor Pro Tem Feltsis moved to close the public hearing and deny the SUP; that motion failed on an initial vote. Councilman Cloutier then moved to close the public hearing and approve the SUP as recommended by staff; that motion passed 4‑3, approving the requested specific‑use permit for the McDonald’s 'on the go' concept at the site.

Clarifying details: Ford presented an appraised value and estimated improvement costs, saying the property’s current appraised value is about “1,053,000.000” and McDonald’s improvement cost around “1,200,000.0,” then noted an estimated $75,000 in annual tax revenue is not being collected while the lot is undeveloped. Ford characterized some transcript spellings and numeric stylings as presentation artifacts; those monetary figures are presented in transcript form and described here as reported by the applicant.

Next steps: With the SUP approved, the applicant and property owner will proceed with final permitting and site work as allowed under the SUP and PD zoning; council did not direct staff to require additional mitigation beyond the conditions in the application packet during the meeting.