McKinney approves zoning for Cannon Beach surf-resort development site

McKinney has cleared the zoning path for Cannon Beach, a $200 million surf-resort project that could turn the northeast corner of Stacy Road and State Highway 121 into one of the city’s most heavily used destination sites. City Council members approved new zoning on April 21 for more than 58 acres, giving the development a planned district built for commercial, entertainment and recreational uses.

The vote matters because it gives the project a regulatory structure that specifically recognizes an outdoor water recreation and entertainment facility, something standard commercial zoning would not handle as cleanly. The site carries roughly 3,000 linear feet of frontage on Sam Rayburn Tollway, which puts the project on a high-traffic corridor that already serves drivers moving through one of McKinney’s fastest-growing areas.

The approved zoning also opens the door to modified parking and buffering standards, a key point for nearby residents who will feel the effects of a project this large in traffic, infrastructure demand and land-use intensity. Cannon Beach is being pitched not as a single attraction but as a multi-use district with a three-acre surf lagoon at the center, along with a lazy river, mineral hot springs circuit, full-service hotel, event spaces, beach-style cabanas, a skateboard park, movie theater, bowling alley, fitness center and other indoor recreation spaces.

The project has evolved since the city first announced its partnership with Cannon Beach on Dec. 13, 2024. At that point, McKinney described it as a 35-acre development and said it was expected to break ground in 2025. Later coverage puts the first phase as early as mid-2027, and the lagoon has been described in one early city report as four acres and in later reporting as three acres.

McKinney’s Planning Commission backed the rezoning 7-0 on April 7 before the issue moved to council. The development is tied to the City of McKinney, the McKinney Economic Development Corporation and the McKinney Community Development Corporation, with developer Cole Cannon, who is also linked to a surf-focused project in Mesa, Arizona, at the center of the proposal.

Developers estimate the project could create more than 700 jobs, attract about 400,000 visitors a year and generate more than $2 billion in economic impact over 20 years. That makes Cannon Beach more than a novelty for Collin County. It is a test of whether McKinney’s growth strategy can deliver a destination residents will support, or whether the city is trading neighborhood-scale impact for a bigger tourism identity along its entertainment corridor.