McKinney adds real-time parking signs downtown to ease searching

Downtown McKinney drivers may soon get a better answer to the oldest question in the Historic Town Center: where is the next open space?

The city is partnering with AMSYS Innovative Solutions to test digital wayfinding signs at three downtown parking lots, including lots on South Kentucky Street and East Cloyd Street. The signs will show real-time space availability so residents and visitors can choose a lot before circling the block, a small change that can shape whether people stay for dinner, shopping or an event.

The pilot fits into a much larger parking strategy that McKinney has been building for years. City officials say the Planning Department conducts a downtown parking study every five years, and the city’s archive includes studies from 2004, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2019 and 2021. The 2021 Parking Action Plan was informed by nine city departments, two city boards, the McKinney Chamber of Commerce and Main Street businesses, then organized around three priorities: wayfinding, parking demand management, and operations and enforcement.

That broader plan matters because downtown parking is not just about where cars go. It is also about how easily customers can reach shops, restaurants and city events in a compact area where a full lot can discourage a stop altogether. McKinney’s wayfinding master plan, adopted by City Council on Dec. 6, 2022, is now in the installation phase and is meant to guide residents and visitors to districts and destinations across the city.

The new signs also follow other parking work already completed this spring. In April, city staff told council that restriping and marking of existing 3-hour parking spaces had been finished to support license plate recognition enforcement. Staff also said the city was still evaluating partners, technologies and funding for a more comprehensive downtown parking strategy that could include enhanced signage, occupancy and demand tracking, data and performance metrics, and user-facing applications.

That April update also pointed to a wider smart-city approach, with parking technology potentially supporting traffic management, pedestrian activity and events as well. The idea is to use information, not just asphalt, to make downtown function better as McKinney grows.

The pilot moved forward through the city’s formal process as well. A City Council special meeting on May 19 included a Downtown Parking Management Pilot item, and a June 2 Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 1 agenda included a request for funding tied to the same effort.

For downtown merchants, the test will be measured in something simple: whether it becomes easier for people to park, step out and stay. In a busy downtown core, that first minute of search time can determine whether a trip feels effortless or frustrating, and whether a customer keeps coming back.