A brand new park is now open in McKinney, Texas. Make sure to take the kids out for some fun before it gets too cold.
On Dec. 8, 2023, McKinney Parks and Recreation announced the grand opening of Robinson Ridge Park, located at 3900 Muscadine Dr.
The park features a natural ridge line, complete with climbing walls, boulders and slides that inspire creative play. The park also offers a basketball court, pickleball court, exercise stations, a hike and bike trail and one of the city’s largest splash pads that will be ready for those upcoming scorching summer days.
Another park in Mckinney is also in the works. On Dec. 5, 2023, the city council voted to hire a consultant for the design work of the park called the Lower 5 Plaza under State Highway 5. According to City of McKinney Communications and Media Manager Denise Lessard, TxDOT is anticipated to start the Environmental Documentation process for the park sometime in 2024.
“The city is using the project to help reconnect the east and west sides of Downtown McKinney,” Lessard told Local Profile. “This project will provide a path across SH 5 that does not require pedestrians to cross vehicular traffic.”
For several years, the city worked to bring additional parks and recreation spaces for residents.
“Combine the rising demand for new parks, facilities, sports fields and open space amenities with the relatively abundant land and capital resources found in North Texas and we are primed to deliver not only more parks and recreation places and experiences year over year but also the most creative and industry-leading examples,” President of McKinney Economic Development Corp. Michael Kowski previously told Local Profile.
But this park isn’t the only new one planned for North Texas. As Local Profile previously reported, during a meeting on July 24, 2023, Plano’s city council adopted an update on the parks, recreation, trails and open space master plan that focuses on keeping up with the demand for more parkland and recreational open space as the city’s population grows.
According to the master plan, there are around 196 acres of undeveloped parkland within the city and since Plano is nearing build-out and acquisition of available and affordable land is limited, the department is focusing on developing land already available for the city. In order to meet this goal, the city aims to acquire greenbelts along Spring Creek Parkway between Windhaven and Midway Road and along White Rock Creek, complete the hike and bike Chisholm Trail south from Park Boulevard and consider the development of a new park west of Coit Road and south of Plano Parkway.