DTX-MCK: Impact 9/15/2025

City leaders are scheduled to vote on three ordinance amendments related to panhandling, camping, and sitting or lying within the public right of way in downtown McKinney.

McKinney City Council members are meeting Sept. 16 for a work session and regular meeting. The regular meeting’s agenda includes the three ordinance amendments which are being considered nearly a month after they were presented for discussion.

The overview: One ordinance amendment would outlaw sitting or lying down on a public sidewalk, street, or pedestrian right of way within the downtown area. A person would only be allowed to sit on a chair, bench or architectural feature supplied by a public agency or private property owner.

Also of note: City staff are presenting an update on the Lower 5 Plaza project during the afternoon work session. It’s the first time council members are scheduled to discuss the project since it lost $15 million in federal funding.

🧋La La Land Kind Cafe recently began a soft opening ahead of their planned Sept. 20 grand opening in McKinney, a company representative said.

What they offer: The eatery’s beverage menu includes a variety of coffees and teas such as French Toast Latte and California Persian Tea. The food menu features La La Classic Avocado Toast, Cacao Banana Chia Seed Pudding and more.

📍 8701 W. University Drive, Ste. 170, McKinney

Dallas-based Ascent Investment Partners has acquired a 20-acre industrial parcel in southeast McKinney, according to a September news release.

The gist: The property is adjacent to another parcel previously purchased by Ascent and is located about a half mile away from McKinney National Airport. The site is “ideally positioned” for industrial development with direct access to US 75, US 380 and SH 121, the news release states. Investment Associate Ryder Byrne said the company does not have immediate plans for development on the property.

Quote of note: “This acquisition underscores our belief that the expansion of the McKinney National Airport is increasing industrial land values in the immediate area and strengthens Ascent's ability to provide high-quality investments to our investors”, Ascent Cofounder Tom Dosch said in a statement.

Looking to explore food opportunities beyond your community? Check out the following restaurant news from across the Dallas-Fort Worth metro, as previously reported by Community Impact.

1. Flower Mound: Supreme Boil
The restaurant offers Cajun food and seafood boils, which includes a choice of mussels, clams, crawfish or shrimp, according to its website.

• Opened Aug. 1
• 2321 Cross Timbers Road, Ste. 413, Flower Mound

• Opened Aug. 25
• 3625 The Star Boulevard, Ste. 315, Frisco

🧪 Education in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, may become more accessible for Texas public school students this school year.

What happened: Officials from national education nonprofit Learning Undefeated and the Texas Education Agency celebrated the opening of eight new mobile STEM labs at a Sept. 10 ribbon-cutting ceremony in Austin. The TEA-funded labs are expected to visit 270 school districts across the state in the 2025-26 school year.

Notable quote: “In an ever-changing world, access to STEM education remains critical to help prepare our students for career pathways and lifelong success,” said Alejando Delgado, TEA deputy commissioner of operations.

The overview: Learning Undefeated built eight new mobile STEM labs after receiving a $3.5 million grant from the TEA, according to Learning Defeated information. The organization opened its first mobile STEM lab in Texas in 2020.

The nine regionally-based labs will now visit elementary and middle school campuses across the state’s 20 educational service center regions. Kindergarten through eighth grade students may participate in a variety of STEM activities to learn engineering design.