Lite-On eyes McKinney expansion with 500 jobs, new headquarters, manufacturing hub

A Taiwanese electronics maker is weighing a McKinney expansion that could turn two Core5 Logistics Center buildings into a new headquarters and manufacturing campus near U.S. 75, tying a large industrial project to school-tax incentives and the competition for North Texas investment.

Public filings identify the applicant as LITE-ON Technology USA, Inc., with company contacts Edward Chang and Dean Cheng. The project centers on 300 and 310 Cypress Hill Drive, east of U.S. 75 and north of U.S. 380, where Lite-On is considering purchasing Buildings D and E in the Core5 development. Together, the two buildings total more than 650,000 square feet.

The state filing describes the plan as a manufacturing facility in Collin County and lists 75 new jobs and a minimum required investment of $200 million. It also says construction would begin in 2026, finish in 2028 and move into commercial operations in 2029. Separate reporting has described the broader proposal as a $300 million headquarters and manufacturing hub that could ultimately support about 500 jobs, but the formal incentive filing is narrower and does not promise that larger employment figure.

The company is seeking a 10-year school-district value limitation through Texas’ JETI program, even though the project is not in a qualified opportunity zone. JETI was created by House Bill 5 in the 88th Legislature and allows a company, school district and the governor’s office to agree to a decade-long maintenance-and-operations tax limitation if project thresholds are met. In counties with at least 750,000 people, the program requires 75 jobs and $200 million in investment, matching the Lite-On filing.

If McKinney ISD approves the deal, the district would limit the property’s taxable value to 50% of appraised or market value for 10 years beginning in 2029. The filing says that could save Lite-On about $4.75 million in school taxes over that period. McKinney ISD’s 2025 adopted tax rate is $1.1043 per $100 of valuation, including $0.7343 for maintenance and operations and $0.3700 for debt service, underscoring how much school finance is at stake in the negotiations.

The city has its own tools as well. McKinney’s economic development office says the city uses tax grants, performance-based job creation grants and Chapter 312 abatements to attract and retain employers, and projects may qualify for grants equal to as much as 100% of real or personal property taxes for up to 10 years. That approach has become part of the broader suburban competition for manufacturing, logistics and corporate back-office work across Collin County.

The project would deepen McKinney’s manufacturing footprint in a city the Census Bureau estimated at 227,526 residents in July 2024, with a city demographic memo putting the January 1, 2026 population at 237,130. Collin County, meanwhile, was estimated at 1,254,658 people in July 2024, a scale that keeps pressure on roads, utilities, schools and land use as the county continues to absorb corporate growth.