MEDC offers 10-acre property incentive for Traxus Technologies to relocate to McKinney

MEDC President David Pitstick says city needs to tighten up land uses to help spur development

By Brandi Hart
McKinneyUpdate.com editor
Created at 9:25 p.m. on June 23, 2009

The McKinney Economic Development Corporation is hoping that a North Texas area remote control toy manufacturing company has its sites set on moving to McKinney as the MEDC's Board of Directors recently approved an incentive to give 10 acres of land to the company.

The MEDC board voted on June 18 to give Traxus 10 acres of land located in what is known as the University Business Park north of University Drive, which is also known as US 380, near Redbud Boulevard. Traxus Technologies is currently located in North Texas and builds remote control toys, cars and other items, said David Pitstick, President and CEO of the MEDC.

The MEDC staff members are currently working on incentive offers to lure Traxus Technologies to McKinney, in addition to working on many other finance deals for companies to build or move to McKinney, Pitstick said. One of those includes organizing financing for a company that wants to build a large data center near the Raytheon McKinney location, a medical technology company and Encore Wire is talking about doing another expansion to its facility, Pitstick sad.

However, he added that McKinney faces many development issues.

"There are major issues that McKinney is facing in regards to certain types of businesses and many of these are related to the city's zoning and land issues. When you look at other cities, they have very tightly controlled land uses that support only corporate development," Pitstick said."In McKinney we have almost none."

He also said that the city could benefit by having more companies that provide more jobs if the area that is zoned as the Regional Employment Center in far southwest McKinney would be better utilized.

"There are no major employers in what is known as the city's Regional Employment Center (near Craig Ranch and in southwest McKinney) and it doesn't have the infrastructure or designated land uses to support corporate development," Pitstick said. "The problem is many of the land owners are asking for pieces of land that don't allow for competitive sites that are relative to other communities."

Pitstick, who has worked as the president of the MEDC for the last eight years and previously worked for the Allen EDC, said that he is encouraged by some of the newer council members and city staff members that are examining the issues.

The city's most successful area is the University Business Park that is home to many businesses, Pitstick said. The business park sits on a total of 47 acres and is home to Orthofix and the Blockbuster Distribution Center, among other businesses that the MEDC developed more than seven years ago.

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