McKinney Courier-Gazette
By Winston Henvey / Star Local Media
January 17, 2024

In an effort to bring more affordable housing to McKinney, city council discussed the possibility of changing the city’s accessory dwelling units ordinance in East McKinney.

At a Jan. 16 meeting, council saw a presentation discussing how East McKinney has less multifamily developments compared to other areas of McKinney, and there is a higher percentage of residents in East McKinney who are cost burdened, compared to other parts of the city.

In a neighborhood preservation study, the presentation stated that there were 4,626 single family lots between US 75 and the McKinney National Airport. Of those lots, 918 would be able to hold an accessory dwelling unit, under the current ordinance. The current ordinance allows for an accessory dwelling unit on lots that are at least 12,000 square feet. The unit can only be 600 square feet maximum, and can only be one story, unless over a garage.

A proposed ordinance change would allow accessory dwelling units on all 4,626 lots in East McKinney, with no minimum lot size, and the accessory dwelling unit reaching a maximum size of 50% of the primary building’s square footage.

According to Downtown Planner Cameron Christie, one potential option would include pre-approved plans, which would include three to four floorplans, each with three to four style options for the accessory dwelling units. According to Christie, each plan would cost between $100-$1,500. Another option includes prefabricated units, which would cost the homebuyer $22,000 or more for the planning, construction and installation of a prefabricated accessory dwelling unit. This option could lower construction times onsite, as well as cost, Christie said.

Financial assistance opportunities would be available, and the city would employ social media, web engagement and other tools to help inform residents of the ordinance change, if approved, Christie said.  

Council Member Justin Beller said he was in favor of allowing more accessory dwelling units and possibly telling developers about the ordinance to allow for more built-in accessory dwelling units in new neighborhoods.

Patrick Cloutier said while he does not want a proposed changed ordinance to lead to more code violations, he said that accessory dwelling units could help house the growing number of seniors experiencing homelessness nationwide.

Council gave direction to move forward with exploring prefabricated and pre-approved accessory dwelling unit plans.