Landmark McKinney event draws advocates, developers and community leaders to focus on growing housing challenges
By David Wilfong
NDG Contributing Writer
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The first ever McKinney Affordable Housing Summit was held on Monday, April 13, at the MISD Community Event Center. A sold out event, there were more than 300 people in attendance.
The summit brought together employers, developers, policymakers, and housing advocates to examine innovative approaches to workforce housing challenges and to form strategic partnerships.
Organized by McKinney Front Porch in partnership with the City of McKinney, the McKinney Chamber of Commerce, the McKinney Community Development Corporation, and the McKinney Housing Authority; the event emphasized how coordinated housing efforts could strengthen the local economy, promote workforce stability, and improve residents’ quality of life.
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As an overt networking opportunity, organizers also added extra chairs at every table, encouraging everyone to invite others to sit and make personal connections with as many fellow stakeholders as possible for future collaboration.
McKinney has experienced exceptionally rapid population growth, particularly since the 1990s, transforming it from a small town into one of the fastest-growing large cities in the United States. As a result, solutions for McKinney can have far-reaching effects on how other communities tackle similar issues. Representatives of organizations and agencies statewide attending the event.
“This was a really strong first Affordable Housing Summit for the city of McKinney,” said Ashley Brundage, president and CEO of the Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity. “The conversations felt grounded in both urgency and opportunity, with real focus on how business, development, and community can come together to support the local workforce.
The summit focused on fostering collaboration among public agencies, private employers, and housing developers to expand sustainable housing options for employees contributing to the city’s economic success. The program began with the audience being given assessments of the housing situation at the local level as well as legislative actions taking place in Austin.
The keynote address was given by Dr. Cullum Clark of the Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Institute. His work has been shared widely through numerous media outlets as well as guest appearances on podcast and radio. Clark outlined how affordability helped push the growth that made the region successful, but that its advantage is eroding and it’s going to take serious planning and investment to get back on track.
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“One point that stayed with me: nearly 40% of our construction workforce is expected to retire in the next decade, at the same time we’re seeing an accelerating pace of people leaving Dallas County,” Brundage said. “Those trends together make clear that housing is not just a social issue, it’s an economic one. Encouraging to see this level of collaboration early on.”
Three discussion panels highlighted advances in affordable housing from the construction perspective, employer/developer strategies, and regulatory processes. Through these discussions, businesses and developers shared insights into potential incentives and support from the City of McKinney to advance workforce housing projects.
“The first-ever McKinney Affordable Housing Summit was a tremendous success,” said Margaret Li, Housing and Community Development Director for the City of McKinney on LinkedIn after the close of the summit. “I’m deeply grateful for our insightful speakers, dedicated sponsors, and engaged attendees who helped make this event truly impactful. The momentum we built together is only the beginning, and I’m excited for what comes next for our community.”
