McKinney Permit Expeditors &
Land Use Entitlement Consultants

Hangars + Aeronautical Businesses + Build-to-Suit

The City actively supports private aeronautical development at McKinney National Airport. Existing infrastructure provides access to multiple hangar pad sites and significant acreage suitable for aviation development.

Airport development has a specialized process involving Airport Management, minimum standards, lease / operating agreements, permits, and operational requirements. Airport-area feasibility should therefore be coordinated before
conventional building design advances.

• Private / corporate hangars
• Commercial aeronautical activities
• Maintenance / aviation services
• Corporate facilities
• Build-to-suit aeronautical development

Airport Growth Extends Beyond the Runway

The ONE McKinney 2040 Plan identifies Aviation and Employment Mix as character-defining Placetypes in the Business & Aviation District. It also identifies substantial Manufacturing & Warehousing land east of the airport and supporting Commercial
Centers.

The plan describes the airport area as a location where businesses can benefit from regional roadway access, airport proximity, Spur 399 visibility, and employment-supporting services.

• Aviation
• Employment Mix
• Manufacturing
• Warehousing
• Distribution
• Commercial centers
• Restaurants / employee services

A Major East-Side Employment Opportunity

McKinney’s comprehensive plan explicitly supports manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, and logistics east of the airport, with strong access to regional transportation and aviation infrastructure.

Industrial feasibility should address zoning, UDC use standards, loading, truck circulation, outdoor storage, screening, hazardous materials, Fire, utilities, drainage, platting, and public improvements.

• Advanced manufacturing
• Warehousing
• Distribution
• Logistics
• Light industrial
• Industrial tenant improvements
• Business expansion

Walkable Mixed-Use + Infill + Adaptive Reuse

McKinney’s Town Center zoning district is designed to facilitate pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use urban infill. The City specifically identifies shopping, employment, housing, business services, walkability, reduced automobile dependence, transit-oriented development, and flexible land use / site design as goals.

This creates strong development opportunities for restaurants, retail, office, residential, hospitality, adaptive reuse, and infill – but historic-resource and design requirements can materially affect projects.

• Restaurants
• Retail
• Office
• Housing
• Mixed-use
• Hospitality
• Adaptive reuse
• Urban infill

Downtown Feasibility Topics
• McKinney Town Center zoning
• Permitted uses
• Mixed-use / housing
• Historic status
• Certificate of Appropriateness
• Parking / access
• Adaptive reuse
• TIRZ 1
• Site plan / permits

A Key Downtown Due-Diligence Layer
McKinney’s historic character is a major economic and placemaking asset. Properties in historic contexts may require preservation review or a Certificate of Appropriateness depending on the work proposed.

Before acquisition or exterior redesign, projects should be screened for historic status, district requirements, demolition limitations, facade / material issues, and any incentives or preservation programs.

• Historic rehabilitation
• Facade changes
• Adaptive reuse
• Additions
• Demolition review
• Certificate of Appropriateness

Growth + Preservation + Infrastructure

East McKinney is a major redevelopment and preservation focus for the City. Its proximity to Downtown, the airport, employment areas, and future infrastructure investment creates opportunities for housing, neighborhood commercial,
mixed-use, employment, and infill development.

Projects should be reviewed against current zoning, district strategy, existing neighborhood character, infrastructure, access, and any redevelopment or public-investment initiatives.

• Housing
• Mixed-use
• Neighborhood commercial
• Employment
• Infill
• Redevelopment

Public Investment Supporting Downtown Development

McKinney maintains Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone 1 in the Downtown area. A TIRZ captures a portion of future tax-value growth for qualifying public improvements and development-supporting projects within the zone.

For larger Downtown projects, TIRZ boundaries and project eligibility can be an important early due-diligence question alongside zoning and historic review.

• Downtown redevelopment
• Public improvements
• Infrastructure
• Mixed-use
• Catalytic projects

Economic Development Around McKinney National Airport

McKinney’s second Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone centers on the airport area.

The City identifies TIRZ 2 as a long-term economic-development tool supporting capital projects in the zone.

This reinforces airport-area positioning for aviation, industrial, commercial, infrastructure, and employment development.

• Airport infrastructure
• Aviation
• Industrial
• Employment
• Commercial support
• Public improvements

A Dedicated Growth Sector
ONE McKinney 2040 includes a Medical District strategy, reflecting healthcare as an important component of the city’s long-term development pattern.

Medical projects can include hospitals, medical office, clinics, outpatient facilities, rehabilitation, senior care, wellness, and supporting commercial uses. Feasibility should review zoning, site plan, parking, ambulance / patient circulation, Fire / Life
Safety, medical gases where applicable, utilities, and platting.

• Medical office
• Clinics
• Outpatient care
• Hospitals
• Senior / rehabilitation
• Wellness
• Healthcare-supporting commercial

Growth Creates Demand for Services and Destinations

McKinney’s district strategies use Placetypes such as Commercial Center, Employment Mix, and Town Center to organize future growth. New residential and employment areas create demand for restaurants, retail, fitness, childcare, medical, office, entertainment, and daily services.

Commercial feasibility should determine use permission, site-plan requirements, access, parking, landscaping, signage, Fire, utilities, and whether an SUP is required.

• Restaurants
• Retail
• Fitness / wellness
• Childcare
• Medical
• Office
• Entertainment
• Service commercial

Customized Development Standards for Complex Sites

McKinney’s development process includes Planned Development zoning as a distinct zoning pathway. PD zoning can establish customized development regulations for a property and may be useful where a project requires a tailored mix of uses or
standards.

PD due diligence should review the ordinance, exhibits, base standards, use permissions, deviations, site-plan commitments, and amendment process.

• Mixed-use
• Master-planned development
• Commercial
• Industrial
• Residential
• Customized standards

PD Due Diligence
• Existing PD ordinance
• Permitted uses
• Base standards
• Development standards
• Exhibits / concept plans
• Requested deviations
• Amendment strategy
• Public-hearing path

Align the Property With the Proposed Development

If current zoning does not support the proposed development, McKinney’s 2026 Development Guide provides for straight zoning and PD zoning applications.

Rezoning strategy should compare the current district, requested district, ONE McKinney 2040 district / Placetype strategy, surrounding land uses, infrastructure, and public-hearing considerations.

• Straight zoning
• Rezoning
• Base district change
• Comprehensive Plan consistency
• Public hearings

Use-Specific Discretionary Approval

McKinney’s UDC and Development Guide identify Specific Use Permits as a separate entitlement process for uses that require case-specific review.

Early feasibility should determine whether the proposed use is permitted by right, requires an SUP, or needs a zoning change. SUP projects can involve site-specific conditions and public review.

• Specific uses
• Operational uses
• Site-specific review
• Conditions
• Public hearings

A Core Approval for Nonresidential & Multifamily Development

McKinney’s development framework relies heavily on site-plan review for new construction, expansion, and changes in use. The UDC also recognizes approved site plans as part of creating a valid building site for nonresidential or multifamily
development.

Site-plan coordination should integrate architecture, civil engineering, access, Fire lanes, parking, landscape, screening, utilities, drainage, and UDC requirements.

• Commercial site plans
• Industrial site plans
• Multifamily site plans
• Access
• Parking
• Fire lanes
• Landscape
• Utilities

Critical to Development and Building Permit Readiness

McKinney’s UDC contains detailed subdivision regulations, and the City’s 2026 Development Guide includes preliminary plats, final plats, minor plats / replats, conveyance plats, vacating plats, and amending plats.

Platting can affect building permit and Certificate of Occupancy timing, so lot configuration, easements, rights-of-way, access, utilities, and recording requirements should be addressed early.

• Preliminary plats
• Final plats
• Minor plats
• Replats
• Conveyance plats
• Amending plats
• Vacating plats
• Easements

JDJ Plat / Replat Coordination
• Plat type
• Survey / civil coordination
• Lot configuration
• Easements
• Rights-of-way
• Engineering comments
• Corrections
• Approval / recording dependencies

Civil Review Can Control the Schedule

McKinney Engineering administers development permits for projects involving grading, paving, utilities, and public improvements. Commercial projects may require both a development permit and separate building permits.

Engineering feasibility should address water, sewer, stormwater, roadway improvements, access, grading, easements, construction drawings, and tree permitting.

• Water / sewer
• Storm drainage
• Grading
• Paving
• Roadways
• Utilities
• Public improvements
• Development permits

A Useful Early Strategy Tool

McKinney highly encourages pre-development meetings before annexation, zoning / rezoning, SUPs, site plans, plats / replats, and ETJ projects.

These meetings can help confirm the City’s initial direction before significant design spending and identify department contacts and review issues.

• Conceptual layout
• Letter of intent
• Planning feedback
• Engineering feedback
• Department coordination
• Early risk identification

Use Verification Before Permit Submittal

McKinney’s growth supports ongoing tenant improvements for restaurants, retail, office, medical, manufacturing, warehousing, and service businesses.

Before building-plan submittal, the project team should verify the use, zoning, site-plan implications, Certificate of Occupancy requirements, Fire, accessibility, utilities, and any operational approvals.

• Restaurants
• Retail
• Office
• Medical
• Industrial
• Manufacturing
• Warehouse
• Change of use

Understand the Full McKinney Approval Stack

McKinney development can involve the ONE McKinney 2040 district strategy, current zoning, UDC standards, PD ordinances, SUPs, site plans, plats, historic review, airport requirements, civil engineering, TIRZ boundaries, and public

A strong feasibility review should identify what is allowed now, what the long-range plan supports, what entitlement is required, and what physical or agency constraint could change the project’s schedule or economics.

• ONE McKinney 2040
• Current zoning
• PD / SUP
• Site plan
• Plat / replat
• Historic review
• Airport
• Engineering
• Utilities
• Fire
• TIRZ
• Public improvements