MCKINNEY (WBAP/KLIF)-Concept designs for the City of McKinney’s new Municipal Community Complex were presented at the City Council work session Tuesday. Architects from Lake | Flato + Parkhill showed the designs that focused on floor plans for Council Chambers and the various city departments housed in the building. The design team presented the following six guiding principles for the project:
- Community Space: a building and plaza that draws people in and serves the community.
- Transparent Building: welcoming and inclusive to all; not institutional; flexible, and resource-efficient.
- Great Place to Work: accommodates a wide mix of indoor and outdoor spaces while encouraging a collaborative culture; great views out, and great daylight within.
- Landmark Building: civic, timeless, expressive of Unique by Nature spirit.
- Leverage and celebrate the history and surrounding community in a meaningful way.
- Adapt gracefully to growth and change.
The current designs show the new building will incorporate the historic Ice House, McKinney Coal and Ice Company’s three-story ice storage building, and complement the silos at the historic flour mill across Virginia Street. One of the City’s goals is to preserve and celebrate the historical elements and communities in and around the Municipal Complex District. Designs also show a large plaza and grassy Chambers Amphitheater next to Council Chambers that can serve as a place for outdoor gatherings, festivals and performances.
“We intend to create not just a City Hall, but a community gathering space the entire community will embrace,” said Barry Shelton, Assistant City Manager who is part of the city’s design steering committee. “That means we design to the context of this unique historical district and celebrate it in the area around the building.”
In 2019, voters passed a $50 million bond proposition to serve as a major funding source for a new Municipal Community Complex. The new building is being designed to accommodate the City’s growth for the next generation. A timeline for the construction of the Municipal Complex has not yet been determined.
