Parking in downtown McKinney just got tougher.
Construction on a new mixed-use development on Davis and Tennessee streets eliminated 350 parking spaces, and the first phase of construction is expected to last more than a year.
Some downtown owners are concerned it could impact business.
"It could affect all of us. That's a lot of parking spaces," said Cynthia Elliot, owner of Cynthia Elliot Boutique. "It's going to be an issue if this isn't addressed."
Elliot said her business has not been impacted yet, but admits a short- and long-term solutions are needed in the historic district.
"We're definitely a destination. There's a lot of developments across the country that try to emulate what we have here," said Elliot. "There has to be other creative ways for us to take care of the parking take care of our clients."
In November, council members approved a development agreement with two private property owners for a 300-space parking garage at Virginia and Chestnut streets.
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The proposed site is a few blocks away from Historic Downtown McKinney Square.
Under the agreement, the property owner would build the parking garage and the city would lease the garage with an option to buy.
"One parking deck won't fix the problem. It's a multi-year solution and it's going to take a while, but it helps," said city manager Paul Grimes. "We have some preliminary design we have to get through to see if it's cost effective and an efficient design."
City officials said the parking garage would provide 300 parking spaces. The agreement does not bind the city to construct the garage. If the city decides not to move forward with construction, it would split the cost of the design capped at $75,000.
In the short term, a parking committee has talked about a trolley and additional parking lots near downtown. A three-hour parking limit is also enforced.
"There's always a concern being a merchant in downtown, especially when you're growing like McKinney is, and when there's a lot of things going on," said Celt Pub owner Stan Penn. "We face some challenges now, but I think we're doing the best we can."
