Developer proposes U.S. 380 drive-thru in McKinney, SUP needed under 2025 rules

A developer has filed for a drive‑through restaurant along U.S. 380 that the city says lies within 200 feet of nearby homes, meaning the project must secure a specific‑use permit under McKinney’s updated siting rules. The Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing on the proposal March 3, 2026, at 6:00 PM at City Hall, 401 E. Virginia Street, where neighbors and property owners may speak.

“Since the proposed drive‑thru is located within 200 feet of the homes, a specific use permit is required. Council approved new distance requirements in 2025,” reads the project caption attributed to Colby Farr/Community Impact, summarizing why the SUP pathway applies. The 200‑foot proximity threshold reflects the City Council’s 2025 changes to drive‑thru distance requirements and is the core regulatory issue commissioners will evaluate.

Public notice materials on NoticeRegistry set the meeting location at City Hall, 401 E. Virginia Street, McKinney, Texas and instruct that written comments intended for the meeting record must be submitted online by 4:00 PM on March 3, 2026. The notice also instructs interested parties to check the Planning & Zoning agenda before March 3 to review the packet and to contact Empress Drane, City Secretary, for questions or further information. The notice’s wording includes the phrase “regarding 401 E. Virginia Street, McKinney, Texas in McKinney, Texas,” a formulation the city’s meeting packet will need to clarify so the public can confirm the exact project parcel.

Key project details remain publicly unlisted in the materials available so far. Community reporting and the notice do not identify the applicant, the precise property address or parcel number, hours of operation, drive‑thru stacking and circulation, or landscaping and screening plans. The Planning & Zoning packet to be posted ahead of the March 3 meeting should include the SUP application and staff report with those specifics, and a subsequent City Council action will likely be required if P&Z issues a recommendation.

The proposal arrives amid continued commercial and mixed‑use growth along the U.S. 380 corridor. Chick‑fil‑A opened a restaurant at 380 Custer Road in March 2024 under owner‑operator Bryson Bullington, who said, “Home is where the heart is, which is why opening a restaurant in McKinney is so important to me,” and “I feel so fortunate for the opportunity to positively impact the McKinney community and cannot wait to start welcoming Guests into our new restaurant.” Nearby projects include a planned Chuy’s at 8405 W. University Drive on a 1.92‑acre tract with a roughly 6,600‑square‑foot building and a requested landscape buffer modification from 30 feet to 20 feet, and the Long Branch master plan, a 155‑acre, $1.3 billion development at US‑75 and the future 380 bypass.

Traffic projections inform the corridor conversation: TxDOT has predicted US‑380 could carry about 114,400 drivers daily by 2050, a figure cited in regional development materials that city planners and commissioners factor into reviews. The Planning & Zoning hearing March 3 at City Hall, 401 E. Virginia Street, is the next formal opportunity for officials, the applicant and residents to review the SUP record and address how the project would meet McKinney’s 2025 drive‑thru siting standards. Contact Empress Drane, City Secretary, for meeting materials and procedural questions.