McKinney Approves Parkhill Contract to Plan New North McKinney Civic Campus

McKinney City Council authorized a professional services agreement with Parkhill, Smith & Cooper, Inc. (dba Parkhill of Frisco) to develop a master site plan for a proposed 111-acre multidisciplinary civic campus in north McKinney. The scope includes architectural and engineering work to study and plan a recreation center and a water pump station as components of the larger campus.

The council placed the item on its Feb. 3 agenda under docket 26-0089, which authorizes the City Manager to execute the agreement. The Legistar item states, "This Resolution authorizes the City Manager to execute a professional services agreement with Parkhill, Smith & Cooper, Inc. to provide architectural and engineering (A/E) services in conjunction with the Master Site Planning Project." The approval was publicly reported on Feb. 10.

Parkhill, Smith & Cooper, Inc. responded to RFQ No. 25-06 for Architect and Engineering Services and was selected from a shortlist. The Legistar record notes the firm "was one of five firms shortlisted by City Council on May 6, 2025, via Resolution No. 2025-05-063." Parkhill is described in the record as a long-standing multidisciplinary design firm based in Frisco with offices in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico that provides architectural, engineering and planning services.

City documents list the Public Works Department, Facilities Construction Division as the project lead and name Ryan Gillingham, P.E., Director of Public Works, and Patricia L. Jackson, PE, RAS, Facilities Construction Manager, as city contacts. The Legistar entry also ties the project to a Council goal titled Operational Excellence (2.1: Balance available resources to accommodate the growth and maintenance needs of the city). Funding for the agreement is budgeted in the General Fund and the Water/Wastewater Fund, though no contract dollar amount or payment schedule was provided in the records.

For residents, the approval begins a formal planning phase that will shape where facilities sit, how much infrastructure will be required, and what services the campus will deliver. A 111-acre civic campus in north McKinney could affect local traffic patterns, utility capacity and recreational access; the inclusion of a water pump station signals coordinated attention to water and wastewater capacity as development proceeds. Key details remain open: the city has not released a contract value, a timeline for master planning, an exact parcel address, or a schedule for public engagement and design milestones.

Next steps for the project should include contract execution, a notice-to-proceed and a public engagement schedule as Parkhill begins the master site planning study. Residents seeking more information can contact the Public Works Department and the Facilities Construction Division, which are listed as managing the project for the city. The master plan will set the framework for later budgeting, construction phases and community input on how north McKinney’s new civic campus will take shape.