A new report on affordable housing in McKinney shows that housing cost burdens have increased for owners and renters in the city.

The setup: Root Policy Research Director Avilia Bueno presented the new report’s findings during a Feb. 17 McKinney City Council work session. The assessment was completed as part of the 2025-29 Consolidated Plan that Root Policy completed in 2025.

Diving in deeper: Housing cost burdens have increased for renters and owners between 2015 and 2023, according to Bueno’s presentation. Cost burden is defined as any household that spends more than 30% of its income on housing costs, Bueno said.

Looking ahead: City staff will use key findings and recommendations from the report to form a targeted goal for affordable housing, Housing and Community Development Director Margaret Li said. Staff will develop a three-to-five-year affordable housing strategy for council’s consideration.

“The intention is to develop clear priorities, implementation steps and measurable performance metrics to continue moving the needle forward on affordable housing,” she said.

Starbucks is slated to open a shop in McKinney’s Hub 121 this month, a Hub 121 representative confirmed.

By the numbers: According to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, the construction project, which began in February 2025, has an estimated cost of $1 million.  

• 7530 SH 121, McKinney

Two candidates are on the Republican ballot for Texas House District 61 for the March 3 primary election.

The details: Frederick Frazier is challenging incumbent Keresa Richardson to represent District 61 in the Texas House. The winner will appear again on the November ballot against the winner of the Democratic primary, which features candidates Jackie Bescherer and Brittany Black. Cities the district represents include Plano, McKinney, Frisco and Celina.

What you need to know: Early voting for the March 3 primary runs from Feb. 17-27. Registered voters may cast ballots in either Texas’ Republican or Democratic primary, but not both. Third-party candidates will appear on the November ballot.

Two candidates are on the Democratic ballot for Texas House District 61 for the March 3 primary election.

The details: Jackie Bescherer and Brittany Black are both running to represent District 61 in the Texas House. The winner will appear again on the November ballot against the winner of the Republican primary, which features incumbent Keresa Richardson and candidate Frederick Frazier. Cities the district represents include Plano, McKinney, Frisco and Celina.

What you need to know: Early voting for the March 3 primary runs from Feb. 17-27. Registered voters may cast ballots in either Texas’ Republican or Democratic primary, but not both. Third-party candidates will appear on the November ballot.

TOCA Social, a European interactive soccer-themed entertainment destination, is set to open its first American location March 6 in Grandscape in The Colony.

The overview: The venue will have 20 playing boxes, which are semi-private spaces, where guests play games, eat and drink. Each space will have an interactive digital screen with five soccer ball-oriented game options.

• 5652 Grandscape Blvd., The Colony

During an arctic blast last month, the Texas power grid remained stable throughout the storm and the state came away largely unscathed. The Lone Star State has not seen widespread blackouts since February 2021, when millions of Texans lost power and nearly 250 people died.

The response: In Uri’s wake, state lawmakers and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas made changes to restructure ERCOT’s governing board, mandate earlier public alerts during tight grid conditions and require that energy providers “weatherize” their facilities to withstand extremely hot or cold temperatures.

Roughly 40,000 megawatts of power—enough to serve about 10 million residential customers—have been added to the grid since 2021 and the state’s energy supply has become more diverse.

Looking ahead: State leaders have expressed confidence that the grid would hold up during “a storm similar to Uri.” Yet some energy analysts caution that rapidly rising electric demand, driven by the construction of new data centers throughout Texas, means challenges may still lie ahead.