Red city with booming population is building $1.3BN 'tiny metropolis' (2025)

McKinney, Texasis transforming from a quaint city to a bustling metropolis, fueled by an unprecedented population boom and a visionary $1.3billion development project.

Driven by an eye-popping population surge of nearly 30,000 people in five years, McKinney is gearing up to build a brand new $1.3billion 'tiny city' within its borders, aiming to keep pace with the growth spurt.

With a population of 224,043 as of this year, the growing Texas city that had just 195,308 residents in 2020 is in dire need ofhousing, retail and infrastructure that can support the swelling numbers.

McKinney is located in Collin County that leads the U.S. for population growth. Between July 2023 and July 2024, the county's population increased by 46,694 residents, reaching an estimated 1,254,658.

In response to the swelling numbers, developer Creation Equity announced lofty plans to construct a monstrous 155-acre mixed-use development right in the heart of the once-quiet town - just 33 miles from Dallas.

Creation Equity's principal, Alex Bez, said McKinney is 'the ideal place' for the massive project as it sits nestled between two other 'rapidly growing' cities.

'The city's walkable downtown, new housing stock and growth in nearby Anna and Melissa are good signs for the development,' he said.

The urban planning professional also said the city's median household income of $120,000, according to the city's website, was another draw for the development company, which first got involved in the project in 2022.

'This site is sort of the hole in the doughnut between those two major nodes,' Bez told the Dallas Morning News. 'You've something really special here, which is what drew us to the site in the first place.'

The sprawling project, dubbed Long Branch, will be located at the northwest corner of US 75 and the future 380 bypass, according to the local news outlet.

The soon-to-be 'tiny city' will feature 1,600 apartments, a 318,600 square-foot office campus with two six-story buildings and a 100-room hotel.

Also included in the colossal project is an astonishing 135,000 square feet of retail space, set to be anchored by a 65,000 square-foot grocery store.

However, brands for the hotel and grocer have not yet been announced, the Dallas Morning News reported.

Plans for inside the spacious new development also include roughly one mile of pedestrian trails and nearly six acres of green space for residents to enjoy.

'The group is excited about the project's potential,' Creation's principal said, adding that the development firm ispartnering withHorizon Capital Holdings and Vaulter on the development.

Bez believes that the space could be 'one of the best corporate campus opportunities in the entire metroplex'.

As of now, the entire campus is up for grabs as Bez said 'the goal' is for a single tenant to take the whole campus, however, it could be split amongst many other smaller tenants if need be.

As for the actual progression of the enormous undertaking, the company spokesperson said that the design - led by Dallas-based GFF, is underway.

Meanwhile, infrastructure work is expected to begin later this year and is expected to last six to nine months - with vertical construction beginning in late 2026, according to Bez.