🥃 Nov. 8 marked the third anniversary since McKinney residents voted to allow package liquor stores to open within city limits.

The overview: More than 75% of voters approved the ballot proposition in fall 2022, and McKinney’s first liquor license was issued in January 2023. Before the proposition, stores were only allowed to sell beer and wine for off-site consumption. Since then at least 25 licenses have been issued for package liquor stores, and sales have generated more than $817,000 in sales tax revenue.

Measuring the impact: Sales tax is collected by the city to fund general operations, including its police department, re department and public works department. Lisa Hermes, president of the McKinney Chamber of Commerce, said the sales tax boost was important to maintain McKinney’s quality of life.

Quote of note: “Anytime we can make our sales tax dollars grow, that only offsets the dependency of tax dollars from property tax,” Hermes said. “For the homeowners, that’s really important.”

🍣 Kimiya Japanese Cuisine recently opened in McKinney, a business representative said.

The details: The restaurant offers all-you-can-eat sushi, sashimi, rolls, ramen, hibachi, teriyaki, tempura, noodles, desserts and more.

📍1615 N. Central Expressway, McKinney

📐Bhanzu, an online math learning platform with users worldwide, has opened its first physical location in McKinney.

The gist: The company, founded by Neelakantha Bhanu Prakash, has offered online math courses since its founding in 2020, a news release states. The new math center offers a classroom environment for kindergarten-ninth grade students, with hands-on instruction of Bhanzu’s curriculum by teachers.

Quote of note: “Bhanzu encourages curiosity, creative problem-solving and the real-world application of math,” Bhanu Prakash said in the release.

📍1400 N. Coit Road, Ste. 1602, McKinney

A new 215-acre development in east Plano is close to final approval, while several new housing developments are underway in Grapevine, Colleyville and Southlake. 

See details on these stories and more in a list of the top five most-read stories from Community Impact's Dallas-Fort Worth coverage areas from Nov. 17-21.

🏘️ 215-acre Lavon Farms development in east Plano moves forward

🍩 New 6,400-square-foot shopping center on Plano, Richardson border to be anchored by Dunkin’

🍕 Check out 6 restaurants newly opened in the Dallas-Fort Worth area

🍣 Bread Zeppelin expands footprint, all-you-can-eat sushi coming soon: 6 Dallas-Fort Worth restaurant updates

🏠️ 5 housing developments updates in Grapevine, Colleyville and Southlake

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission is moving forward with a set of permanent rules designed to prohibit the sale of consumable THC products to anyone under 21 years old.

The overview: The proposal is similar to emergency rules adopted Sept. 23, which are currently in effect and prohibit Texas alcohol retailers from selling intoxicating THC products to minors. The state health department adopted similar emergency rules in October.

The context: The existing and proposed THC rules are the result of a September executive order by Gov. Greg Abbott, who called for age restrictions on THC sales and tighter guardrails on the multibillion-dollar industry.

Earlier this month, federal lawmakers approved a ban on most consumable THC products, which is set to take effect in November 2026. The ban is part of a federal funding package that became law Nov. 12, ending a 43-day federal government shutdown.

Next steps: Texans can weigh in on the TABC's proposed permanent rules during a Dec. 11 virtual public hearing or submit written public comments through Jan. 4.