368-unit apartments at Globe Life campus seek fence in place of masonry wall

A 368-unit apartment complex planned as the first piece of a redevelopment of the Globe Life campus in Stonebridge Ranch goes before the McKinney Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday, Oct. 13, over a request to skip the masonry wall the city normally requires around apartment sites.

The project

Davis Rowlett Station Apartments would have six buildings on 14.235 acres south of Eldorado Parkway, about 1,100 feet east of Custer Road, according to the applicant's letter of intent. The letter lists 634 parking spaces, including 24 enclosed garages and 86 carports, along with a fitness center, a pool, grills and EV parking.

The applicant describes the apartments as the first phase of a multi-phase plan to turn the existing Globe Life campus into a mixed-use development that would keep the campus's two-story office building and add restaurant and retail space to the north. A hike-and-bike trail would link the apartments with Crunch Fitness and the office and retail tract, and could later tie into a planned trail along Rowlett Creek.

The land is already zoned for multifamily use. Its neighbors include Experian's McKinney data center to the south, plus a restaurant, a gym and the Globe Life offices, according to the staff report.

The exception

Site plans like this one are usually approved by staff. This one needs a commission vote because the applicant wants a design exception.

McKinney's development code calls for a masonry screening wall at least 6 feet tall along the side and rear property lines of every apartment development. Instead, the applicant proposes a 6-foot decorative metal fence lined with evergreen shrubs. In its letter, the applicant argues that a solid wall would cut the apartments off from the shops and offices the project is meant to connect with, and notes that a berm and a row of mature trees already separate the site from the data center to the south.

Planning staff recommends approval, citing the trees being kept in the buffer area along with the fence and shrubs. Staff's recommended conditions include revising the site plan to show the alternative screening and meeting the city's standard site plan conditions before a building permit is issued.

Staff reported receiving no letters of support or opposition.

Next steps

The commission meets at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 401 E. Virginia St., and will hold a public hearing before voting. Its decision on the site plan can be appealed to the City Council.

References

Planning & Zoning Commission (2026-10-13), Case 26-0053SP. Retrieved from [https://mckinney.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=30956](https://mckinney.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=30956)