🌮 McKinney's big amphitheater now costs $330 million

Hey neighbor 👋 Welcome back to Taco & Tell, your weekly rundown of what's opening, what's being built, and what local government decided in Frisco, Prosper, McKinney, Celina and Little Elm. This week has a little bit of everything: concerts, cranes, steaks and scooters.

The big one: Sunset Amphitheater gets more expensive, and closer to done 🎸

The Sunset Amphitheater, the 20,000-seat outdoor concert venue going up near U.S. 75 and State Highway 121 in McKinney, is about 70% complete. It's also a lot pricier than first planned. Back in 2024 it was pitched as a roughly $220 million project. Now it's about $330 million.

On Monday, Oct. 5, the McKinney City Council and the boards of the city's two development corporations met together and approved an updated agreement with Venu, the company building the venue. The big change lets Venu raise another $60 million through a "sale-leaseback": it sells the land to an investment firm called Store Capital, leases it back, uses that money to finish construction, and plans to buy the land back a few months after opening. City officials say no new public money is involved.

Before you buy tickets: the venue isn't scheduled to open until 2027, a year later than first planned. Venu's construction chief said it could get a temporary certificate of occupancy, the official OK to use the building, by April 1, and that it may be able to host more shows a year than first expected. No opening date or lineup has been announced.

Why it matters: the city already put real skin in the game, including 46 acres of land and $26 million in grants, plus sales and property tax rebates tied to the project. Another $13.4 million in city and regional money is going into road upgrades around the site. When a project's price jumps by more than $100 million, people reasonably wonder who's on the hook. For now, the answer is Venu and its investors. Our read: April is the date to watch. If the temporary occupancy permit lands on time, a 2027 concert season looks very real, and so does the traffic on U.S. 75 on show nights.

Frisco

An AI lab with up to 300 jobs opens in Frisco 💻

Kyndryl, a big technology services company that spun off from IBM in 2021, opened its first U.S. artificial intelligence lab on Sept. 30 at 5844 John Hickman Parkway. The company says it expects to create up to 300 jobs over the next four years in AI, consulting and engineering. The lab is a place where Kyndryl's corporate customers come to test AI projects with its experts. Mayor Mark Hill said the company could have picked any city in the country. It picked the one with the most youth sports tournaments per square mile.

Culinary Dropout plans a Fields West restaurant

Culinary Dropout, the Arizona restaurant brand known for big patios and live music, has filed plans with the state for a Frisco location at 14401 Wentwood Ave. in Fields West. The filing describes a $3.1 million build-out with about 7,250 square feet inside and a 2,220-square-foot patio, with construction from January to July 2027. So it's a summer 2027 patio, at the earliest. Start practicing your pretzel-bites-and-provolone-fondue order now.

Omni PGA Frisco is building a rooftop event space

The Omni PGA Frisco Resort announced Monday that it's building the Fields Ranch Pavilion, a two-story event venue overlooking the Fields Ranch driving range in the PGA District. It'll have about 6,600 square feet total, with indoor space for up to 160 guests and a rooftop terrace for up to 180. It's set to open in late spring 2027. If you're planning a 2027 wedding, this is your sign. If you're planning a 2027 golf swing, this is your audience.

Prosper

Windsong Ranch buys land for its last 290 homesites 🏡

Tellus Group, the developer behind Windsong Ranch, bought 96 acres at the southeast corner of Teel Parkway and Parvin Road for about 290 more homesites, across from Moseley Middle School. The company says this is the final residential piece of the community, where the first families moved in back in 2014. Windsong Ranch now covers 2,030 acres with more than 3,300 homes and more than 600 acres of parks, trails and open space. Translation: if you've been waiting for a new Windsong home, this is the last call.

Prosper's Christmas Festival will look different this year 🎄

Construction on First Street is changing the town's Christmas Festival. According to draft committee minutes, the town plans to close Broadway entirely and fill it with inflatables, and put an ice rink on the downtown plaza, so that part of the festival doesn't feel cut off. The town also dropped its Prosper on Tap series because not enough people came, and is planning a free Friendsgiving event downtown on Nov. 21. A festival date hasn't been announced. An ice rink in Texas in December: bold, and we're here for it.

McKinney

A 62-acre industrial project gets its terms

The McKinney City Council on Monday approved an agreement with developer Provident Realty for a light industrial warehouse project on about 62 acres east of State Highway 5 and south of State Highway 121. The land is outside city limits now, and the deal sets the terms for bringing it into the city. The developer builds the roads, water and sewer lines, and the city can pay up to 30% of eligible costs, capped at $6 million. Our read: warehouses aren't glamorous, but they add to the tax base without adding kids to schools, which is why cities like them.

$405,000 goes to local nonprofits

The council also approved $405,000 in community support grants for more than 40 nonprofit and city aid programs for the new budget year, plus $20,000 for a transit program that helps people experiencing homelessness. It's a small slice of the budget, but it reaches a lot of food pantries, shelters and service groups. Not every headline needs a crane.

Celina

Celina's sales tax check jumps 27% 💰

Celina's October sales tax payment from the state came in at about $1.29 million, up 27% from about $1.02 million a year ago. It's the city's second-biggest month in state records going back to 2022, behind only this August. The money mostly reflects shopping from late summer, and the wave of new big stores along Preston Road is likely a big part of it. Remember that City Manager Robert Ranc said real tax relief has to wait until shopping catches up with rooftops. This is what catching up looks like.

Construction starts on a 272-unit apartment community

Ohio-based Cedarwood Companies has started building Topaz at Light Farms Way, a four-story complex at 2515 Knox St. with 272 studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments. First move-ins are expected in 2027. Plans include a clubhouse, a pool with a firepit and a fitness center. The pool and firepit, side by side, are the most Texas amenity pairing we've ever seen.

Little Elm

E-bike rules head to a vote Tuesday 🛴

The Little Elm Town Council takes up new rules for e-bikes on Tuesday, Oct. 13. The ordinance would add e-bikes to the town's scooter rules, keep riders younger than 15 off the fastest Class 3 bikes, require helmets for riders younger than 18, set a 10-mile-per-hour limit on trails and keep mini pocket bikes off public property. It's on the consent agenda, which means it passes along with other routine items in one vote unless a council member pulls it out for discussion. Council members first discussed it at a September workshop and asked for a few changes, including how many passengers an e-bike can carry. The answer, we're guessing, is not your entire carpool.

LongHorn Steakhouse is headed to U.S. 380 🥩

A LongHorn Steakhouse is working through Little Elm's permit process for a spot at Bates Towne Crossing, the Target-anchored shopping center on U.S. 380 at Ryan Spiritas Parkway. The restaurant's lot went before the Planning and Zoning Commission on Oct. 1, and town staff say construction will start once permits are approved. There's no opening date yet. Little Elm's appetite for steak appears to be well done.

A $250,000 water well for the wake park is on the table

Little Elm's Economic Development Corporation is weighing a deal to drill a roughly $250,000 water well on its lakeside property near the Hydrous Wakeboard Park. In return, the park's operator, America's Cable Park, would start paying the corporation $36,000 a year in rent beginning May 1, 2027. The board was scheduled to take it up Monday, and we'll share the outcome once it's posted. Wakeboarders may never notice the well. The budget will.

What's a "Chapter 380" deal? 🤝

If you've been reading along, you've seen these deals for weeks without the name, so let's demystify it. Chapter 380 of the Texas Local Government Code lets cities give money, land or tax rebates to private projects if they promote economic development. Celina is using one for its downtown makeover, McKinney used one for the Cannon Beach surf resort, and the Sunset Amphitheater runs on one too.

The key thing to look for is how the money is paid. Most of these deals pay out only when the developer hits milestones, like finishing construction or spending a certain amount. That's meant to protect taxpayers if a project stalls. When a council approves an "amended and restated" 380 agreement, like McKinney did Monday, it usually means the deal is being updated as the project changes.

Election reminder: early voting starts Monday, Oct. 19. Next week we'll walk through everything on the Nov. 3 ballot.

Weekend plans 🏈

Celina Friday Night Market: Friday, Oct. 9, 6 to 9 p.m. on the downtown square. It's free, with more than 60 vendors selling produce, baked goods and crafts, plus food trucks and live music from Scotty Schaefer. Celina events calendar
Red River Rivalry Fan Fest, Prosper: Saturday, Oct. 10, 1 to 5:30 p.m. on the downtown plaza at 250 W. First St. It's free. Wear burnt orange or crimson, and try to stay friends with your neighbors. Prosper events calendar
Cork & Growler soft opening, Prosper: planned for Friday, Oct. 9, at 201 W. Frontier Parkway, Suite 10, with cocktails, wine, craft beer and wood-fired pizza.
State Fair of Texas: open daily at Fair Park in Dallas through Oct. 18. Details

New and coming soon 👀

Cork & Growler (Prosper) plans a soft opening Oct. 9. The bar closed its original Frisco location after the rent went up and has been working on this move since late 2024.
Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant filed plans for a $5.1 million, 12,111-square-foot restaurant with a patio at The Gates of Prosper, with construction penciled in from March to September 2027.
Culinary Dropout (Frisco, Fields West) is targeting a summer 2027 finish.

Dates to know 📅

Oct. 13: Little Elm Town Council votes on e-bike rules.
Oct. 13 to 17: Fourth Street Plaza opening week in Frisco, starting with a ribbon cutting Tuesday and ending with a community art day Saturday.
Oct. 15: Prosper's new water and wastewater rates take effect.
Oct. 19 to 30: Early voting.
Oct. 23 to 25: Dick's House of Sport grand opening at Stonebriar Centre in Frisco.
Oct. 27: Prosper Town Council is expected to take up The Marco.
Oct. 30: Nightmare Over Little Elm Park.
Nov. 3: Election Day.
Nov. 11: McKinney's airport terminal opens.

That's the week. Go to a market, pick a side in the Red River game, and save some room for a steak. See you next Thursday!

— Taco & Tell