McKinney Airport Expansion Gets Funding, Boos Ahead of Election

Construction on the long-awaited but controversial expansion to McKinney National Airport is poised to start in May, and many voters will likely keep that in mind when they head to the polls.

The mayoral election for the city is scheduled for May 3, with early voting running from April 22 to April 29. One of the issues framing the contest has been the airport project, which voters declined to fund in bond elections on a number of occasions.

Tensions Linger in McKinney Over Commercial Airport Terminal

As previously reported by CandysDirt.com, officials have been keen on adding a commercial passenger terminal to the airport, seeing it as a potential driver of tax revenue and economic growth for the city. Officials opted to go forward with the expansion, albeit without the use of property tax dollars. Instead, city sales tax revenue will be used.

Detractors oppose the project for various quality of life reasons (noise, traffic, environmental consequences, etc). Many of them see the project’s advancement as the city running rough shod over voters to the benefit of developers.

One social media user posted an AI-generated image in a Facebook community group earlier this month that seems to encapsulate that sentiment:

Airport Passions Make Themselves Known at Mayoral Debate

There are four candidates in the mayoral race this year, and none of them are Mayor George Fuller, who supports the commercial terminal but is termed out since voters declined to amend the city charter to allow for three four-year terms on city council instead of two.

Fuller endorsed former city council member and current chair of McKinney’s Planning and Zoning Commission Bill Cox, who reportedly defended the city’s continued pursuit of the project during a mayoral debate hosted by Collin County Young Republicans on Tuesday.

“They heard what the citizens said. They’ve dropped the idea of taxpayer funded expansion,” Cox told those in attendance, according to KERA News.

Reporting by KERA and The Dallas Morning News highlighted how some folks in the audience would boo anytime the airport was brought up during the debate.

The three other candidates (ophthalmologist and surgeon Dr. Matt Rostami, former state senator Scott Sanford, and attorney Taylor Willingham) expressed more apprehensive positions, seemingly appreciating the bad taste the issue has left in the mouths of some residents.

On the subject of economic growth, per DMN, Rostami seemed to allude to the airport and other city-backed projects when he said, “What’s going to grow is going to be the bank accounts of all these developers.”

For his part, Sanford advised putting a pause on the expansion until after the election, arguing that more should be done to get local buy-in.

“Let’s determine if there is actually a return on investment, and once we’re able to see those things, re-engage the public and see if the public has changed their mind,” he said, DMN reported.

Willingham blasted the city council for advancing the project in spite of voters’ signaling their disapproval, but he also acknowledged that what’s done is done.

“So there are things that we need to do to move it forward and make sure that it ends up being a good project,” he said, per DMN.

And moving forward it is.

McKinney Officials Get Their Financial Ducks in a Row

Financing for the project was put in place on Thursday at a joint meeting of the the McKinney Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and Community Development Corporation (CDC). Both bodies receive sales tax revenue as a part of their funding.

EDC committed $22.4 million to the first phase of development, while CDC agreed to secure $30 million in interim financing, which is reportedly going to be reimbursed via federal loan dollars from the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, according to Dallas Business Journal.

DFW Airport Luxury Terminal Finally Takes Flight

The total budget for the expansion is estimated at $75 million, with additional funds coming from grants, city coffers, and tax increment financing.

Phase One will include a 45,000-square-foot terminal, a large aircraft apron, public parking, and other essential infrastructure. The city expects to finalize pricing for the project by the end of March, with construction beginning in May.

Once completed, the airport will become the third commercial hub in D-FW. City leaders anticipate the expansion will generate over 1,800 jobs and contribute nearly $1 billion in annual economic impact within five years. If all goes as planned, commercial flights could launch by late 2026, with initial routes to major cities such as Orlando, Denver, and Los Angeles.