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New Restaurant Area ‘The Lumberyard’ Proposed

McKinney
Downtown McKinney | Image by Visit McKinney

A new restaurant and retail project could be heading to McKinney’s downtown historic district.

McKinney’s Planning and Zoning Commission is considering site plan applications for a proposed restaurant and retail building called The Lumberyard.

The Lumberyard is a speculative two-story retail building located at the corner of South Chestnut Street and East Louisiana Street in downtown McKinney, according to documents filed with the City.

Spanning nearly 10,000 square feet across two floors, the multistory building would be developed specifically for restaurant and retail use, according to Jake Bennett, city planner for McKinney.

Development plans would include the demolition of the site’s existing structure as well as the creation of The Lumberyard’s planned two-story building. Demolition of the site’s original 5,786-square-foot 1930s storefront received a certificate of appropriateness from McKinney’s Historic Preservation Advisory Board during a November 3 meeting.

“I love seeing that side of the square starting to grow and develop, so I think this is great,” Mallori Hanes, Board of Commissions member for the City of McKinney’s Historic Preservation, said during the November meeting. “I’m excited that y’all are doing this, and I can’t wait to see it in the future.”

Whether The Lumberyard will be a multi-tenant or single-tenant building is currently still being determined. However, Mathew Crittenden, president of MSC Design LLC and the project’s architect, says the site would be best with only one tenant.

“The goal is to lease to one restaurant tenant who would occupy both floors,” Crittenden told the Planning & Zoning Commission during an April 25 meeting.

However, several McKinney residents voiced concern about the project’s proposed location and the proposed service road that would link the retail building to a utility substation.

“One of the things I want y’all to consider is that for myself and my neighbors, finding a little piece of country in the big city is very difficult to do,” McKinney resident Garry Lang told the commission in April. “The last we want is to have our illustrious government make a decision and come through and ruin all of that.”

The Planning and Zoning Commission agreed to table a decision on the utility substation until City staff has met with residents to thoroughly discuss possible alternatives.

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