Projects in motion Development in McKinney’s extraterritorial jurisdiction includes both multifamily and single-family residential projects.
ETJ
McKinney
Land in ETJ
WESTON RD.
125
1 Corson Cramer Development Project 43 104 lots Single family
2 The Luxe of McKinney 39.8 400+ units Multifamily
3 The Mansions of Prosper
4 Timberridge
5 Bloomridge
45.7 square miles
1
543
2
291
1461
TRINITY FALLS PKWY.
30 100 lots Single family
40 159 lots Single family
138.3 400+ units Multifamily
Acres Lots/units Type
123
164
3
5
COMMUNITY AVE.
4
NEW HOPE RD.
UNIVERSITY DR.
380
Defining growth Here are a few terms related to or part of McKinney’s extraterritorial jurisdiction. Extraterritorial jurisdiction:
LAKE FOREST DR.
.
INDEPENDENCE PKWY.
75
5
Ultimate planning area: The area that city staff consider when creating a master plan for land use, development and roadways. It includes both the area inside city limits as well as land in the extraterritorial jurisdiction.
Annexation: Annexation takes place when a city extends its limits and provides services to property or properties. Leapfrog development: This occurs when development is not contiguous and leaves gaps of undeveloped land in between developed areas.
AIRPORT DR.
The extraterritorial jurisdiction, or ETJ, is land within 5 miles of McKinney’s boundary that is not within city limits or the ETJ of another city. It is the territory McKinney alone is authorized to annex.
ELDORADO PKWY.
Land in city limits
MAP NOT TO SCALE N
SRT TOLL
69.2 square miles
SOURCES: CITY OF MCKINNEY, COLLIN COUNTY DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE, TEXAS LEGISLATURE ONLINE, COLLIN COUNTY, MCKINNEY MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Managing the master plan Municipalities don’t have land-use control, which is the ability to guide development through zoning regula- tions and restrictions, in their ETJs. In the case of McKinney’s ETJ, the city is limited to planning subdivision author- ity and related horizontal permits, which includes permits for water and wastewater, Quint said. “I get calls as the
see multifamily and single family projects. One developer working in the area is Corson Cramer Development. The firm plans to develop 43 acres, located south of Trinity Falls at the northeast corner of Trinity Falls Parkway and Weston Road, into 104 single-family residential lots. “This [project] is an opportunity
As the ETJ develops without the city, plans made to support the area may no longer be fitting, Quint said. “It’s really difficult to plan mas- ter-planned infrastructure when you don’t know what you’re planning for,” Quint said. Another challenge the city faces in the ETJ is leapfrog development. That occurs when new projects jump away from the contiguous developed area to an area further away, leaving a hole, Quint said. “When you look at our city lim- its, we call it the greatest example of Swiss cheese you can find,” Quint said, “There’s gaps in all of our contig- uous limits.” These holes give developers access to utility lines that are extended to service areas in city limits but pass through pockets of unincorporated land, causing additional strain on areas of McKinney, Quint said. “The benefits of living in the country are great for those ETJ residents, but when they’re not paying the city taxes that pay for the upkeep in roadway infrastructure, water infrastructure, wastewater infrastructure … it’s a chal- lenge for existing residents,” Quint said. In the face of these challenges, city staff has begun developing strategies to encourage ETJ residents and develop- ers to annex their properties into city limits. In a March presentation, Quint
CONTINUED FROM 1
Prior to 2017, municipalities were able to annex parts of their ETJs that were contiguous to existing city lim- its at their discretion. This allowed for strategic growth and planning for infrastructure, such as roadways and utility lines, Quint said. McKinney did annual annexations from 2014- 16 to fill in strategic areas and plan infrastructure. While the city aims to continue expanding into the ETJ and have input on the developments planned for the area, Texas legislation has put in roadblocks to stop forced annex- ation. Recent reform has limited the ability of municipalities to involun- tarily annex parts of an ETJ and con- trol land use. As a result, the projects found in McKinney’s ETJ are different in type and quantity from the years before the end of forced annexation, Quint said in a March 21 council meeting. The city is also facing additional strain on resources due to city- funded roadways and utilities being used by ETJ residents who don’t con- tribute taxes to fund these projects, Quint said. Explaining growth Residential development in the ETJ has continued to evolve to
for the homes to be a little bit more attainable, a little bit more affordable for younger families, which is really what the goal is,” co-founder and Managing Director Larry Corson said. Corson said
“THE BENEFITS OF LIVING IN THE COUNTRY ARE GREAT FOR THOSE ETJ RESIDENTS, BUT WHEN THEY’RE NOT PAYING THE CITY TAXES … IT’S A CHALLENGE FOR EXISTING RESIDENTS.” MICHAEL QUINT, MCKINNEY’S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
mayor constantly now for devel- opments that are going up in the ETJ asking how could I possibly allow these things to be built, and my answer is, I didn’t allow it, our state legislators did,” McKinney Mayor George Fuller said
the high growth area and access to existing utilities made the project ideal for the development firm. Bill Cox, who sits on the Collin County Association of Realtors board of directors, said investing in a house in the ETJ could increase the buying power of prospective home buyers. “[For the price of] your 3,000-square-foot home in McKinney, you may be able to buy 4,000 square feet [in the ETJ],” Cox said. “Your dol- lar could go further out in an ETJ.”
of recent annexation reform legisla- tion. “We have no control [in] the ETJ of what’s getting built.” Despite the limitations McKinney has for controlling ETJ development, the area is still considered when the city plans for future infrastructure and growth, Quint said. The city’s comprehensive plan is designed to cover the ultimate plan- ning area for McKinney. This area spans both city limits and the ETJ.
26
COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
Powered by FlippingBook