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Jill Alcantara from McKinney ... Green or Not

Allen, Frisco, Plano, Fairview and McKinney have Tree Preservation Ordinances that protect 6" and 8" diameter trees from clear cutting by developers. City Staff is proposing a change to the McKinney Ordinance that will exempt all trees less than 36" diameter from this protection. 

All of the cities listed require a developer to produce a tree survey which shows every tree on the property to be developed. The drawing also shows the streets, homes and other proposed structures in relation to the trees. These surveys are valuable tools the staff uses to determine if the project meets our Ordiances and other regulations.

A proposal will be presented to City Council on Monday night, June 20, to virtually eliminate tree surveys for McKinney. Staff would have no reference to use to prevent developers from bulldozing every tree smaller than 36". This change will virtually disable our Tree Preservation Ordinance. The only thing that will remain is the protection of trees in the Flood Plain we just fought so hard to preserve. 

We all expect developers to try and take the shortest path to a profit. The long term character and future of our city is in the hands of Elected Officials and City Staff. It is very concerning that this short sighted proposal is coming from within our Development Services Department. Unique by Nature...maybe not. 

Please email the City Council by Monday and let them know how you feel about this at:
Contact-citycouncil@mckinneytexas.org

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There is a Public Hearing on Flood Plain Development and the developer's request to clear cut over 400 (76%) desirable trees on the property. Our Tree Preservation Ordiance does not allow more than 30 % to be cut on protected land, which this is.  It also says that if you cut trees, you must replace them with new ones or pay $500 per tree in fines. This developer asks us to excuse him from these terms. His request is for a "Variance" from Ordinaces put in place by the voters of Mckinney.  He wants to cut what ever he wants, replace nothing and pay no fines at all. The fines here should be over $500,000 payable to the city! That money is used by the City to replace trees. 

The Council will hear this case Tuesday, April 5 at the 6 PM regular Council Meeting at 222 N. Tennessee. You will be able to speak or enter your opinion about this on a simple post card. Your presence matters and will be counted. This is about creating profit from land purchased over 10 years ago by a church with the full knowledge that only a small sliver could ever be developed. 

Be aware that Councilman Rainey Rogers has been a member of the church seeking to profit from this development. He has not recused himeself. 

Please attend this meeting, the future of our Green Space Preservation Plan is on the line. This can create a precedent that will declare open season on the development of protected lands. 

MCKINNEY ... GREEN OR NOT

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Clear Cutting to the Very Edge of a Creek

We won the first round with the Planning and Zoning Commission (Tree Board). Thanks to many of you, the variance request to clear cut the first 400 plus trees was denied. Unanimously. This will now go before City Council on April 5. We have a higher hurdle this time, Council already agreed to the Zoning Change to build in a Flood zone. They will see new information at this hearing about the tree removal that was not available to them at the time. 

There were at least 30 people at the hearing in person and 14 opposition letters that were a part of the official file. About 10 people addressed the Commission and everyone was given the full attention of the Planning and Zoning Commission. What follows, is the shortest possible summary of the situation

  1. The church that owns this property actually wanted only a sliver of about 3 acres, but the owner would not subdivide the 24 acres. They did not want the rest and knew before they bought it in 2004, that the remainder of property was in a Flood Plain and covered with desirable trees, two serious conditions that would prevent development and likely prohibit a sale of majority of the remaining property in the future. 
  2. What they are asking us to do is wave our Ordinances to create buildable property in a known flood zone. The future developer wants us to sacrifice our Comprehensive Plan to create profit for him. It is already known that the City will incur a $93,000 loss providing services to this site. All this, for a total of 40 - 50' wide lots that McKinney does not remotely need.

Citizen input made all the difference.

Please make a difference again, come the Meeting April 5, 2015

Contact the City by phone at:   972-547-7500 with your input

Send Letters to:   ebraht@mckinneytexas.org. 

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JUST ANNOUNCED ... THERE IS A VERY UNUSUAL TIME CHANGE FOR THE HEARING ON VARIANCE  REQUESTS

 These can Create Exemptions from Provisions in our Zoning, Flood Plain and Tree Ordinances

New Hearing Time is 5 pm on Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Location Council Chambers 222 North Tennessee

Re:  Zoning Cases 16-041PF and 15-310Z.

There are  two pieces of flood plain property near Lake Forest that have just been rezoned by the City of McKinney to allow about homes to be built. Against our Flood Plain Ordinance, for 50 houses, the 100 Year Flood Plain will be rezoned and changed forever. The land to be utilized is virtually all within the 100 Year Flood Plain and is covered with over 700 beautiful canopy shade trees. The developer wants to remove over 78% of these desirable trees, when our Ordinance states that 30% is the Maximum. If  these drastic affronts to our Zoning Ordinance umbrella are approved, we will never get this genie back in the bottle, it will be open season on Flood Plain development .

The developer also expects the required fines for cutting the trees, (over $700,000.00), will  be waived! That is money that the taxpayers of McKinney will have to make up. Put another way, these trees are being clear cut at taxpayer expense! The majority of the clear cut property will end up as a 4 foot deep excavation that is unstable, unsightly and of absolutely no value to this City. The Parks Department will not even accept donations of clear cut land.  

The development of this Property is Contrary to the Intent of the McKinney Comprehensive Plan Approved by the Residents of McKinney.

We, as residents, voted in these very Ordinances to protect our Green Space - Open Space for future generations. Council Members are elected and City Staff is hired to enforce all of our Ordinances and protect our creeks and trees, not to make sacrifices that serve short term goals.

It is imperative that NO variances to these Ordinances be granted. They must be enforced as written. Our commitment to these goals feeds the very heart of McKinney. 

Come to this meeting at 5 o'clock, on Tuesday, show the city where you stand for and how important this precedent is.

Send an email no later than Friday the with your input to:

 spikett@mckinneyteaxas.org