McKinney Council Approves Cell Tower at 4877 W. University Drive After Applicant Says Alternatives Exhausted

The McKinney City Council voted Tuesday to approve a planned-development rezoning to allow a high‑rise telecommunication (cell) tower at 4877 West University Drive.

Planning staff told the council the application — related to an Advantage Storage property previously before the council — had been through additional due diligence at the council’s request and that staff supports the rezoning. “This is actually the Advantage storage cell phone tower that we saw previously; it was tabled by council’s request so that they could go back and do a due diligence study,” a planning staff member said.

An applicant representative told the council the team and prior site-acquisition consultants had examined multiple parcels in the area and that alternatives had been pursued but “fell through for various reasons — some for engineering reasons, some for business reasons.” The representative said the company worked with the current landlord for about six months and, to reduce neighborhood visual impacts, had “purposefully pushed the tower as far west as possible on the property.”

The applicant also offered to “take on the cost of a non-reflective coating of the tower” and suggested a brown finish that would blend with trees between the tower and nearby houses.

Several residents had filed cards registering opposition; the council closed the public hearing after asking if anyone wished to speak. The agenda packet included a map of parcels considered by the applicant’s site-acquisition firm.

Council members noted staff had met with nearby institutions; a staff member said city staff had discussed connectivity concerns with leadership at Baylor (hospital) and confirmed the hospital had explored on-site options but could not accommodate a site that met engineering and expansion needs. The staff member said the tower could address local coverage gaps.

After discussion, a council member moved approval, a second was recorded and the motion passed. No setbacks or special conditions beyond the development standards amendment were listed on the record; staff and the applicant cited a condition limiting the site to two industrial heating towers in a separate industrial item but not to this telecommunication request.

The council’s approval follows the paused consideration earlier this month when members asked staff and the applicant to explore alternate locations and mitigation measures. The approved rezoning will be incorporated into the city’s planned development standards for the site. The applicant and staff did not announce a construction start date during the meeting.