DTX-MCK: Impact 10/6/2025

🚧 Check out details on three road projects in McKinney that are either underway or set to start within the next year.

1. Medical Center Drive improvements
Project: Reconstruction and widening of Medical Center Drive between Frisco Road and Spur 399 as a four-lane divided roadway. The road is currently three lanes, undivided.
Update: McKinney City Council awarded a construction contract for the project Sept. 16. Construction is expected to begin before the end of the year.

• Timeline: November 2025-late 2026
• Cost: $5.2 million
• Funding Source: city of McKinney

💪Stretch Zone is now open in McKinney, a company official confirmed in an email.

The gist: The business offers certified practitioner-assisted stretching programs that aim to improve range of motion and alleviate muscle stiffness or soreness, its website states.

📍2750 S. Central Expressway, Ste. 106, McKinney

The McKinney Farmers Market at Chestnut Square Heritage Village was ranked as the no. 1 farmers market in the state for the third year in a row.

Each year, farmers markets across the U.S. are ranked in America’s Farmers Market Celebration, a competition organized by the Farmers Market Coalition. The McKinney Farmers Market also ranked third in the Southwest region, according to a news release from Visit McKinney. Rankings were determined by votes casted by the public between Aug. 1 and Sept. 30, according to the Farmers Market Celebration's website.

The McKinney Farmers Market is hosted every Saturday at Chestnut Square. Local vendors sell fresh produce, handmade crafts and more. The market averages more than 2,500 visitors each Saturday throughout the year, according to its website.

• 315 S. Chestnut St., McKinney

From Oct. 13-19, Texas residents will not have to pay to apply to in-state public colleges and universities.

The details: During Free College Application Week, application fees will be waived for all Texas residents applying to undergraduate programs at public colleges and universities located in Texas. First-time college students, transfer students and students returning to school are eligible, according to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

To qualify for the fee waiver, all applications must be submitted through ApplyTexas, the state’s college application portal.

What they're saying: “Texas prioritizes opportunities for students to pursue the best education they need to succeed in high demand, good-paying jobs after graduation,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in an Aug. 29 news release. “By supporting our students today, we are investing in a stronger Texas tomorrow.” 

Put in perspective: Most high school seniors apply to 5-10 colleges or universities and each application costs about $60-$75, state lawmakers estimated in June.