Despite opposition from nearby residents, McKinney city officials say they are powerless to stop a local Islamic association from building a new mosque that was previously rejected over zoning issues.
City Council members are set to approve the McKinney Islamic Association’s application on August 4.
The Muslim complex will be built on 5.5 acres at the corner of Virginia Parkway and Crutcher Crossing. Plans include a 15,000 square foot mosque to replace the group’s existing masjid on Eldorado Parkway, which they’ve outgrown, as well as a 10,000 square foot classroom building and 7,000 square foot multi-use facility.
McKinney’s Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved a new site plan for the project on July 14 without discussion.
The Islamic Association had wanted to build a 40,000 square foot mosque, which would have required the property to be rezoned. City planners rejected that proposal in July 2024.
“It’s just too big of a building for that site,” said then-P&Z chairman Bill Cox, who is now McKinney’s mayor.
The new site plan aligns with the property’s current zoning for “planned development.”
That leaves city officials no discretion to reject the project, according to Councilman Patrick Cloutier.
“If they build to that zoning specifically, with no variations, this council and P&Z have no power to stop them,” Cloutier explained during Tuesday’s city council meeting.
“What we have to do is give site plan approval in a ministerial way, where we just say, okay,” said Cloutier. “What if we say no? They’re going to sue us, and they’re going to win, and they’re going to build it anyway, and we’re going to pay legal fees. That’s the reality that we’re sitting here with.”
Still, several residents asked the council to delay or reconsider their decision. Those living in neighborhoods near the proposed mosque remain concerned about increased traffic, noise, and parking problems.
Darlene Burke told council members on Tuesday she had just learned that day about the Islamic group’s renewed plans to build on the property adjacent to Stone Brooke Crossing, where she has lived since 2000. Burke said the 32,000 square foot complex “will just dwarf our neighborhood.”
“Residents should not have to deal with congested neighborhood roads, blocked access, limited visitor parking, or increased safety concerns because of a facility that exceeds the capacity of its site,” said Nancy Robertson, who lives in Stonebridge Ranch.
Some also warned about disruptions caused by Muslim calls to prayer five times a day and potential unlawful Sharia practices.
U.S. Rep. Keith Self, a Republican who lives in and represents McKinney, alerted constituents in an X post:
Self co-founded the congressional Sharia-Free America Caucus and recently sponsored legislation to ensure federal courts cannot recognize any parallel legal systems that conflict with the U.S. Constitution.
The McKinney Islamic Association is among dozens of mosques and Islamic centers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, with more expansions planned. The Princeton Islamic Center is fundraising for an expanded complex. The East Plano Islamic Center’s proposed new EPIC City community has been stalled by county and state officials blocking their development plans.
Delegates to this year’s Texas GOP convention made stopping Sharia a legislative priority for 2027.
