Staff proposes small-area plan for State Highway 5; council supports a community-driven approach

Haley Angel, a planning manager, asked the council for direction on pursuing a small-area plan for the State Highway 5 corridor, describing it as a focused, community-driven process that is smaller in scope than a comprehensive plan but allows tailored recommendations for land use, building form and transitions.

Angel said a consultant-led plan of the proposed scale would likely cost between $200,000 and $300,000 and would include market assessment, existing-conditions analysis, stakeholder engagement, redevelopment analysis and an implementation plan that could lead to development-code changes and funding strategies. She recommended considering areas south of US 380 and north of Industrial Boulevard and excluding the McKinney Town Center (MTC), noting different development patterns and the potential to tailor recommendations to north and south subareas.

Angel described tangible plan outputs — catalyst-site identification, suggested development regulations, place-making measures and suggested funding mechanisms — and emphasized that community engagement would be the core of the process. "Staff is here today to ask if it is time for us to pursue funding for a small area plan along State Highway 5," she said.

Council members expressed general support, with some preferring a focus on the south side of the MTC as more ready for change. Members asked how the geographic scope is refined; Angel said the consultant onboarding typically begins with a rough study area and refines scope through early stakeholder work.

Next steps: if the council directs staff to pursue funding, staff will work on consultant selection and community engagement plans; staff said the plan scope will be refined with consultant input and stakeholder feedback.