Controversial McKinney Airport Expansion Breaks Ground
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A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Friday for the new commercial terminal at McKinney National Airport, a flashpoint project that has embittered some residents who claim the expansion is a boondoggle.
McKinney National Airport had catered to private charters and corporate fleets for more than 40 years before local officials began pushing for commercial passenger service. Despite residents rejecting supporting the expansion with bond dollars in multiple elections, the McKinney City Council has moved to use sales tax revenue to advance it.
“This new terminal is not just an investment in McKinney, it’s an investment in the future of North Texas,” Mayor Bill Cox said, according to a press release. “As our city has grown over the past two decades, we’ve focused on making smart, strategic investments that benefit our residents and the broader region. This project fulfills a long-standing vision of the City Council to create a future-ready airport that strengthens mobility, supports economic development, and makes travel more accessible and convenient for families and businesses alike.”
Cox, a former zoning commissioner and commercial real estate executive, was voted mayor in a runoff election in June. The airport expansion featured heavily in the race, with Cox’s opponent saying a pause should be put on the project until a new mayor and city council could take a fresh look at it.
State and federal officials turned out to the groundbreaking, including an appearance by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).
“I was proud to work with the city while drafting the FAA Reauthorization Act and to provide support to help launch this project,” he said. “This is a major milestone that will bring jobs and promote economic growth in North Texas.”
News of the groundbreaking was not well received by the project’s critics, who have been speculating on Facebook that a request by the communications firm hired to coordinate press for the event asking reporters to hold off on announcing the groundbreaking until after the ceremony was an attempt to keep the project’s progress secret.
“They know how unpopular this is. They don’t want protesters,” claimed one Facebook user. “Pretty rude not inviting the whole town, after all we are the folks actually paying for it.”
A number of other commenters expressed agreement with the protest preemption theory.
Embargoes on press coverage for an event or other newsworthy development are relatively commonplace (albeit less so in the age of social media). They’re meant to coordinate the timing of press coverage or give journalists time to prepare for a story that could be touchy.
The relevant portions of the press release in question read, “[W]e kindly ask you not to share news of the groundbreaking until after the event. Due to airport security, all media will need to RSVP in advance to attend.”
Once completed, the terminal will comprise 46,000 square feet with four gates (and room to expand to up to six), a 980-space parking lot (again, more room to grow), space for on-site car rentals, and a new taxiway. Initially projected to handle 200,000 passengers annually, the terminal can have a max capacity of over one million travelers as demand grows.
Service in and out of the new terminal is expected to begin in late 2026.
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This is a disaster for those of us who live under the flight pattern. We moved from near Love Field in the Park Cities to get away from the noise and particulate matter these planes will leave in the air. I hope people who voted for this are aware of how they will be impacted when the control tower puts these jets in a holding pattern before landing. Some will find they will fly right over their homes. People will head north and east to get away from this environmental disaster. My thoughts only but we have experienced this and it will not be pretty.