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McKinney council reviews three downtown parking‑garage concepts, flags cost and location tradeoffs
Summary
City staff presented three conceptual designs for a downtown parking structure with capacities from about 400 to more than 600 spaces and estimated project costs of $23M–$37M. Council members questioned site choice, traffic impacts on Hunt Street and the balance between retail, aesthetics and long‑term redevelopment value.
City staff and consultants presented three build alternatives for a proposed downtown parking structure and asked the council for direction on site, design and funding. Ryan Gillingham, the city’s director of public works, said the project is intended to meet current demand and position downtown for future redevelopment. "One of the things we heard from the public was preserving and enhancing the character of the historic downtown," Gillingham said during the presentation.
Consultant Fabio Serrado of Fishbeck Architects walked the council through three base concepts and multiple alternates. The options ranged from a configuration that fits within an existing block with roughly 407–479 spaces to a larger block‑occupying concept that produces 500–613+ spaces depending on alternates and below‑grade levels. Serrado said the most economical concept showed an estimated project cost of about $54,000 per space, with total project estimates between roughly $23 million and $37 million depending on the option and allowances for façade and site work.
Council members raised several concerns in the discussion. Some members worried that the largest option—on a block the presentation noted as prime redevelopment real estate—could remove land better used for a hotel or office and criticized putting so much parking in an area that current studies show is not the highest present demand. Michael Quint, a staff 'red team' reviewer, said, "If you go option 3, you're putting it in an area that is prime real estate for redevelopment, and you're putting a garage there." Others focused on traffic circulation and safety: the concepts rely on vehicle access primarily from Hunt Street, which several council members said can be tight when on‑street parking is present.
Design details also contributed to the tradeoffs. The consultants proposed typical parking stalls and drive widths (standard 9‑by‑18 stalls and roughly 25‑foot drive aisles in these concepts) to balance efficiency and driver comfort; Serrado said some alternates include retail at ground level while others maximize parking counts. Staff estimated schematic design completion by late July and a construction timeline of roughly 15–20 months after design and bidding, putting an operational date around late 2028 if the council proceeds.
Gillingham said the funding plan shown on the summary relies in part on tax‑increment reinvestment funds (TIRZ) and other city sources, but the schematic budgets show a funding gap that staff asked council to help close through either additional funding sources or scope adjustments. The council directed staff to return with more information and to continue the conversation at the June 16 meeting.
