Tensions Linger in McKinney Over Commercial Airport Terminal
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McKinney National Airport could see commercial flights taking off as soon as 2026, but some residents are still wary of local officials’ plans to expand the facility to accommodate more air travel, claiming the City Council is circumventing the will of voters.
The airport, which is owned by the city and currently caters to private corporate flights and recreational flyers exclusively, has been identified as a potential source of further economic growth. While voters rejected a $200 million bond package to finance the expansion back in May 2023 (and a previous one in 2015), officials are moving to secure alternative sources of funding to advance the project.
Recently, the council approved the rezoning of roughly 300 acres of City-owned property to facilitate airport development, which will include a commercial passenger terminal, a 1,500-passenger vehicle parking lot, an aircraft de-icing pad, two 30,000-gallon above-ground fuel tanks, and utility infrastructure (water, sanitary sewer, storm drain).
No critics showed up to the public meeting to speak against the move despite the previous. Still, some expressed their consternation online, suggesting council members were running roughshod over locals who remain apprehensive about the impacts of the expansion after voting down airport-related bonds twice in 10 years.
Boon or boondoggle?
CandysDirt.com reached out to McKinney Mayor George Fuller about the frustrations being expressed. Fuller, a big advocate for the expansion, stressed its projected economic impact on the surrounding area. He also said most of the criticism stems from “a few dozen active social media opponents” and that “overwhelming sentiment” in the community has actually been “extremely positive.”
“We own the airport, and have a fiduciary responsibility to protect that asset and further its positive impact on the community. Currently, in addition to the $300M of economic impact, over $3.5 million is generated in property and school taxes from assets at the airport, benefitting residents across the city,” Fuller said in an emailed statement.
“[Critics] often conflate the bond referendum results with sentiment concerning commercial passenger service in general. That is obviously a mistake and not accurate,” he added, arguing that the 2023 election went the way it did because voters thought they would be raising their property taxes if they sanctioned the bond.
“It is important to remember that the [2023] bond language stated that, if approved, the city would ‘impose a tax sufficient to pay the principal and interest,’ and that language is overwhelmingly what gave pause for that referendum. Of course, the tax referred to is already in place (I&S portion of the current property tax rate), and the city had the bonding capacity, with the retiring of older debt, to issue the airport bonds without increasing property taxes. That said, that was not an easy message to convey,” Fuller said.
McKinney resident Bridgette Wallis strongly disagrees, telling CandysDirt.com that residents’ concerns extend beyond perceived tax increases.
“People are concerned about the expansion for many reasons,” she said. “It is very close to the Heard Nature Preserve, a 289-acre museum and wildlife sanctuary. People are concerned about the overcrowding, traffic, and pollution that will be the result of a commercial airport.”
Wallis is an administrator of the Facebook group McKinney Citizen to Citizen, where a number of locals have been posting their reactions to developments related to the project.
She went on to point out how the real economic impact of allowing commercial air travel could be limited in a number of ways. Noting that the airport would not be able to attract a big-name airline like Southwest, Wallis argued that it would have to contract with budget airlines, many of which have been struggling in recent years.
“We’ll be very dependent on them not going under. That’s a hard pill to swallow for people around here who don’t want an airport anyway,” she said.
Wallis also argued that since the airport and surrounding businesses are in a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, tax revenues generated from the increased activity would be reserved for improvements in the zone and other taxing entities instead of being used to offset city spending more broadly.
“I think the point is also that the powers that be in this city will continue building it whether we want it or not,” she said.
Economic Footprint
Here are some highlights from the most recent economic impact report for McKinney National Airport in FY 2023:
- Generated $299 million in economic output, a 41% increase from 2018
- Maintained 1,560 jobs (direct on-site and indirect)
- Paid out $110 million in wages
- Comprised $165 million in GDP
- The number of businesses/organizations based at the airport grew by 33% since 2017
- Air traffic grew by 15% since 2017
- Estimated $21.7 million in local spending by visitors
“McKinney National Airport is one of our city’s most powerful assets,” Fuller said about the report in a news release. “This study highlights just how critical the airport’s growth and development are to McKinney’s prosperity. By continuing to invest in the airport, we’re investing in sustainable economic growth, creating jobs, and positioning McKinney as a key destination in North Texas for both businesses and visitors.”
A study reportedly conducted by Sky Synergy and Intervistas Consulting outlined the potential economic benefits of expansion:
- More than 3,200 jobs (direct on-site and indirect)
- Wages projected to reach $265 million
- Overall economic impact of $850
- Some $115 million in tax revenue, of which McKinney is projected to get $5 million
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The people complaining haven’t said anything about the pollution from the concrete plant or the already increased traffic from the people in Princeton. Hard to have a valid point when they don’t even live on this side of 75
Full support
Noise is Fairview residents’ primary objection to the MKI expansion. The planes fly low and directly over Heritage Ranch, a 55+ community in Fairview. Increased air traffic will make our homes unlivable and thereby decimate our property values. Fuller cares nothing about our quiet little town.
I observed that all the numbers are reversed. Example would be that the Cotton closed in 69, sold in 96. Supposed addressed in 23, will be complete in 32. Anyway, I’m excited about TKI becoming the reliever to Love Field! I live across the street from the Cotton Mill, and if they widen Elm Street, there goes my front yard! I believe this entire neighborhood will be purchased and turned into commercial property. As long as I receive 2.5 to 3 times my property value, I’m all good.
I live on the east side and am outside of city limits so while the airport is right next to me I get no vote or sayso. The air traffic noise is horrible and so is the traffic and unbearable population increase. I moved here 15 years ago because it was rural and peaceful. Now the city of McKinney has kept me in limbo with their constant delays on what they are going to do with our roads and traffic so I’m not able to sell my house or even know if I need to sell it. We’ve been in limbo for 10 years. The airport does not help local taxpayers. It’s only helped the local politicians bank accounts and I’m sure they don’t have these stupid ass planes over their houses all day every day.
Full steam ahead. Mckinney needs industry to support it’s population and an airport expansion will bring much needed jobs to the area. DFW was built on it’s international airport, collin county can share the same benefits with it’s municipal airport.
To be clear…I am NOT a resident of McKinney therefore no one wants to hear my objections. My nearly century old Lucas ranch property sets currently in the direct southern approach flight path to this airport. My cattle get stressed with every aircraft approach to landing (some within 500ft elevation) When my cattle get stressed they begin to lose weight which results in lost revenue at the time of sale. I currently monitor this situation and record the data to use for my future considerations and evidence. The planned increased air traffic will only exacerbate the stress effects on my cattle and also my loss of revenue. I am prepared to fight this expansion even if I’m alone!
This is a complete boondoggle. The first referendum failed to get approval funded by a bond. Then the council reached into their second pocket and funded this by McKinney sales tax revenue. No second referendum was held – but the council referred to survey which was never produced or shown by the major.
McKinney is a city where the Mayor and council do whatever they want – and completely ignore any public input. The city is now an overcrowded construction site – a heaven for realtors – developers – builders – and as for the people – NOT SO MUCH.
My grandson plays soccer next to that concrete plant. Some days the dust is horrible. City had trees planted on the berm to help with dust. Half or more of trees are now dead. Mayor Fuller is quite the liar.
The plan has a significant flaw. TKI has only one runway. Commercial Airports usually have two or more. Any maintenance to the runway shuts down the airport. Any airplane incident, from gear up landing to engine dies and won’t restart closes the airport.
For GA (General Aviation) not a huge deal, Commercial operations it can be huge deal.
Some think a new Love Field, no way with one runway.
The old Airport Master Plan had a second parallel runway. The current plan does not, in fact they used the land for the new Commercial terminal so a second
runway will not fit.
If the DFW area needs a third Commercial Airport, then go out a bit and get the proper amount of land to do it.
Leave TKI a great GA airport, and focus on making it the best GA airport in the USA.
Ya 121 and 75 are really quiet I hear.
Regardless, federal regulations already regulate airport noise near residential areas so noise is a nonissue. Comments about potential tax revenue are also missing the big picture. Personally, if I could drive 10 minutes to my local airport instead of up to an hour to Love or DFW, that would be a huge boost to my quality of life. That’s the real value here. And I know I’m not alone in directly benefiting from the airport expansion.
For all the people in McKinney (like me); beware that this is going to be a small Commercial Operation. It will be 3 destinations at best. Simply not enough space to make another Lover Field with flights to everywhere.
If built, you still will go to DFW or Love Field for 90% of your flights. Two or three destinations and inconvenient times will be the McKinney option.
We live about 3.5 miles from the north end of runway on land that has been in the family since 1853. Currently we have several business jets going directly over our house daily either taking off or landing. At times the noise is terrible at other times it is bearable.
Since the glide path for larger passenger planes will be much longer and lower than what it is for a much smaller business jet this wil put them lower over our home and create a lot more noise.
Because we are in the County, and not in the city, we have no vote nor say in what McKinney does but we have to suffer from
their decisions.
However, I will not let McKinney run over me or cram this down
my throat without a fight. I have already started filing complaints
with the FAA and Congressman Self. And I suggest everyone
affected by the airport should do so beginning now. It is easier to
attempt to stop it in the beginning than to play catch up later.
Full Support to the Mayor/City
The proposal makes sense; as a McKinney business owner and a long time Collin County resident, having a commercial airport in the center of County will save a lot of trouble going to DFW or DAL.
A recent example of what this could be is the Paine Field Everett or even better John Wayne in Orange County.
This is the reason George Fuller tried to pass proposition A on our votes for mayor extension to his third term. He must have a fiduciary interest in this airport,and I certainly don’t want McKinney being run by him.
The City of McKinney is openly stating their intentions to expand down the fm 546 eastern corridor. I challenge anyone to look up the business and tax records on the county website and seriously tell me if they DONT see some seriously SHADY stuff going on. There are numerous properties on eastern fm546 owned by numerous non-profit companies waiting for their chance to cash in on this SHADY business affair.
Most of these non-profit businesses have changed their names or sold these properties multiple times to other shell companies. This is nothing but elected representatives using their power to push their own SHADY intentions….
People in McKinney need to do some research on smaller commercial airports around the country. Such as, Grand Rapids in Michigan, Bellingham in the state of Washington and several others. These smaller airports have low cost airlines fly in/out and mostly have a quick 1-2 hr layover in a major airport before taking the passengers to their final destination.. It’s not complicated it’s called convenience.. I pay an extra 75.00 to fly from Dallas Love to Bellingham by way of Seattle where I have a layover before flying into Bellingham.. (Alaskan Airlines) Southwest quit flying into Bellingham in 2024. It’s seems complicated and red taped but in the end it’s nice to drive 10 minutes to an airport catch your flight (not a long TSA line) and be able to return home in minutes rather than suffer the long drive either on Central Expwy or the NDT…
When considering the mega-metros of New York City and Chicago, they are very similarly sandwiched between the jurisdiction limits of three states the first between New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey and the second between Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. Washington D.C. is also confined by similar jurisdictional limits. In the middle of the San Francisco / Oakland / and San Jose Metro area is the huge divide of San Fransisco Bay. Los Angeles sits wall to wall limited by mountains with three mountain ranges dividing it from San Diego. Both Miami and Houston are limited by lower elevations, flooding caused by hurricanes, tropical storms and land subduction, and surrounding marshlands.
In contrast to all these metro areas, the North Texas area is almost a hundred miles from another state line with no limits in any direction. In a few years, a half million people along Lake Texoma and over a half million in the Tyler and Longview areas will more and more be considered part of the North Texas market area.
North Texas is developing into four cities. One is Dallas, another is Fort Worth, yet another is that business developing in and,l around DFW airport towards the north and south of it, and, finally, the last is developing around the combined cities of McKinney and Frisco.
The fast growing exurb cities both north of Frisco and north and east of McKinney are developing into suburbs of those two cities. Right now, that new principle urban area doesn’t need to be serviced by a major airport. Add all that population growth expected to happen around Sherman Dennison though and that will change.
I use to believe that Forth Worth should be classified as a suburb until the growth of its retail lately. All the four urban areas I pointed out above are developing their own upscale luxury shopping areas.