McKinney approves new anti-camping rules targeting homelessness downtown

McKinney’s city council approved new anti-camping ordinances that make it illegal to sleep, sit or lie down in key downtown public spaces, then broadened the ban citywide to cover camping in any publicly accessible outdoor area not designated for camping.

The downtown ordinance passed 6-1 on Oct. 21, with Justin Beller opposed. It bars sleeping outdoors, sitting in a public street or median, and lying down on sidewalks, streets, medians, parkways and pedestrian rights of way in downtown McKinney. A second ordinance passed 5-2, with Beller and Geré Feltus voting no, and clarifies that camping is prohibited citywide in outdoor public areas not set aside for camping while also expanding the definition of camping to include sleeping in vehicles overnight.

The rules include exceptions for emergencies, ADA compliance, public parks, special events, and seating supplied by the city or by private property owners. They were set to take effect after official posting, and the city would have authority to issue warnings and citations.

Complaints from business owners and residents, especially around McKinney Square, focused on visible homelessness, trash, people sleeping on benches and in alleyways, and concerns about safety and business disruption. Mayor Bill Cox said the city was trying to balance safety and compassion and that the problem is not unique to McKinney.

Homeless advocates and people experiencing homelessness pushed back. Paul Ballesteros of Emmanuel Labor urged city leaders to use “more like a scalpel than a hammer,” and one speaker at the meeting said, “This merely punishes people for existing while poor.” William, who had been living outside near the public library, said the new rules would push people deeper out of sight and that many unhoused residents do not have family or community support.

Visibility downtown rose after the McKinney Public Library closed for a year for renovations, which pulled more people toward the Square. Pastor Tommy Brumett of First Methodist McKinney said the city needs an overnight emergency shelter, and McKinney does not have one.

The council action came as the city was also advancing Better Together, a longer-term homelessness initiative that will hire a third-party facilitator and build a yearlong plan. McKinney continues to support the McKinney Homeless Coalition, the SOAR outreach hotline, warming stations through MEOWS, rental and utility assistance, homelessness prevention programs, and grant-funded services.

McKinney's November homelessness update put patrol units in contact with about 100 homeless people per month, and its 2025 point-in-time estimate put the city's homeless population at 213, down from 239 in 2024. The city allocated $800,000 in local general-fund spending and more than $1.18 million in federal funding for housing and homeless-related programs. Erwin Park in North McKinney remains the city’s only designated camping area.