Plans are underway to open a new 7-Eleven convenience store across the street from the Collin County Courthouse in north McKinney.

What happened: McKinney City Council members voted to approve a specific use permit for the new store and gas station at a Nov. 18 meeting. The gas station will be located at the southwest corner of Bloomdale Road and North Central Expressway, according to a city document.

Planning Director Lucas Raley said the property’s current zoning requires approval of a specific use permit to allow passenger vehicle fuel sales.

“No design exceptions are being requested to deviate from the minimum development standards in the [unified development code], and so we believe that there would be no negative effect on adjacent uses,” Raley said. “As such staff recommends approval of the SUP.”

The details: A conceptual site plan attached to the agenda shows plans for a 4,816-square-foot convenient store and eight fuel dispensers on the site. The plan also included 36 parking spaces, according to the plan.

🏡 A new office by 76 Fence is open and offering fence contracting services to McKinney and surrounding communities, according to a company news release.

The gist: Company staff meet with customers on-site to assess and discuss project needs and provide fence installation services, a media representative said in an email. The 76 Fence team manages all required steps such as permitting, utility marking and necessary paperwork with homeowners associations. The company provides fence installation services for residential and commercial needs, according to its website.

Also of note: The 76 Fence office is opening as part of a larger expansion into the North Texas area. Bob Wolf, Central Texas Regional Developer and franchise owner, is leading the effort to open 38 new territories across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The new office in McKinney serves multiple cities including Allen, Anna, Melissa and Princeton, according to 76 Fence’s website.

📍4500 Eldorado Parkway, Ste. 1550, McKinney

Waymo is gearing up to roll out fully autonomous driving in Houston and Dallas.

The gist: The move comes as Waymo begins driverless operations in Miami, with launches planned in four additional cities—Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Orlando—over the next several weeks, according to a Nov. 18 news release.

Waymo leaders said expanding to new markets has become increasingly streamlined thanks to its “generalizable” Waymo Driver and a consistent operational playbook.

According to the company, the shift to fully autonomous driving—once viewed as a major technological leap—has become routine as its safety systems and deployment strategy mature.

Diving in deeper: The company reports its vehicles have already shown strong safety performance, with 11 times fewer serious-injury collisions compared with human drivers in its current operating areas.

This year, voters in communities across Texas were skeptical of local property tax hikes and supportive of larger tax breaks for homeowners and businesses, results from the Nov. 4 election show.

The overview: Voters in Community Impact’s coverage areas approved just over half of the local bond propositions and tax rate elections on the November ballot, according to previous Community Impact reporting. Statewide, 40% of tax rate elections and 45.9% of bond propositions passed, according to Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Houston Republican and property tax policy writer.

Zooming in: Cities, counties, school districts and other local government entities use funding from tax hikes to build new schools and facilities; hire educators and first responders; and maintain local infrastructure. However, amid high inflation nationwide, more Texas residents are tightening their belts and asking local officials to do the same, fiscal policy experts told Community Impact.

Local governments whose tax hikes were shot down are now grappling with how to make cuts while maintaining essential services, Community Impact reporting shows.