Princeton, Texas

Hats Off To One of Texas’s Fastest Growing Cities

Welcoming burgeoning growth, with exciting developments on the Texas horizon

With a population of 36,000 and the legendary Texas charm to match, Princeton stands as the fastest-growing city in Collin County, and one of the most rapidly developing communities in the entire state. Amidst this growth, efforts are underway to preserve the small-town charm and quality of life amenities that make Princeton an ideal place to call home.

Mayor Brianna Chacon boasts, “We are seeing tremendous residential growth, and we have a tremendous amount of commercial growth that’s coming down the pipeline that we’re hoping we’re going to be able to announce soon. But even though we are growing, we are still a city where we value our hometown feel, and our residents here appreciate that.”

Infrastructure and Development Initiatives

City Manager, Michael Mashburn notes that along with this major growth comes challenges, especially in a city dedicated to meeting the needs and wants of residents whenever possible. He shares, “We’re bringing in a team that is going to analyze the city from a strategic standpoint and engage the residents in ways that they haven’t been engaged before, to see what exactly they want. We’ll use data to support those decisions, and then we’ll start acquiring those businesses and put the infrastructure in place to satisfy those needs.”

Ongoing infrastructure projects aimed at supporting the city’s growth include Highway 380 improvements to address growing traffic demands. “We’re working with TxDOT and the county. We’ve got a bypass coming in on the northside of our city that’s going to be connecting a lot of our northern cities down and then we’ve got a six-lane thoroughfare that’s on the south side of our city that will eventually connect to airport road in McKinney,” Mayor Chacon expands.

“TxDOT is slated to start expanding 380 next year. They’ve already started purchasing the easement rights to begin that project. So, while we’ve got growing pains now, eventually we will have three major thoroughfares to get in and out of the city.”

Expanding broadband infrastructure is also on the agenda, in line with the city’s communication master plan. “We do have numerous towers going up throughout the city that are going to be able to link in everybody at a little bit higher speed,” says Chacon. “We’ve partnered with numerous carriers to be able to accommodate that. As well, a lot of our new builders, we are highly encouraging them that on the onset of those new communities coming in, that they are putting in fiber optics.”

Left to Right: Jaisen Rutledge, Chairman Community Development Corporation; Terrance Johnson, Chairman Economic Development Corporation; DeShawyna Walker, EDC-CDC Coordinator; Mike Thompson, Vice-Chair Economic Development Corporation; Kareem Evans, Vice-Chairman Community Development Corporation

Strategic Economic Development

Mike Thompson, Vice Chair of Princeton’s Economic Development Corporation, has been a resident of Princeton for 20 years and has witnessed the dramatic changes the city has encountered during that time. He says the Princeton of today is a city focused on targeted and strategic growth that improves the quality of life of residents.

“Our business park is continuing to grow. And that’s our biggest opportunity for the city is to try to bring in the right businesses to increase our average income. If we could do that, then we’re going to have been successful,” he remarks.

“We’re creating a CEO position and director position where we will have full-time people going to those businesses or recruiting the ones we want, versus some of the ones that just come in here and want a bunch of tax incentives. We offer those things, but we want to make sure it’s to the right companies that are going to be strategic for the city.”

Thompson emphasizes the importance of workforce development, and planning that aligns with the needs of incoming businesses. “When we do bring in some of those companies, we want to be able to see what they need and continue to fill a pipeline where people that live here, that want to live here, and want to work here, have that opportunity to have the skill set once they are recruiting those people in those businesses,” he explains.

“In terms of education, Princeton’s proximity to Collin College and the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) helps to prepare students for future careers and ensures a skilled workforce for the area’s growing industries,” Chairman Johnson relays.

Residential Growth and Sustainability

Immune to the housing challenges that many communities are experiencing, Princeton is seeing impressive residential development. “A housing shortage is not something that Princeton is feeling, we are busting out of the seams with rooftops,” Mayor Chacon relays. “Princeton is unlike a lot of other cities in Collin County right now, in that we still offer affordable housing. We continue to see rooftops come in, we continue to see residents come in, and just with that, we provide a good quality of life.” The City also has a valued partnership with a leading homes provider, Armani Homes, and continues to collaborate with them.

In light of this rapid development, she says the city is looking to implement a temporary moratorium on residential buildings in the upcoming master plan. “We grew very, very fast, and our growth has superseded our infrastructure at this point. So, we do need to slow down and kind of get a better grasp on where we’re at and be able to provide those services needed,” admits Chacon, noting that the influx of new residents has created challenges for emergency responders, including firefighters and police officers.

The city hopes that pausing residential growth temporarily will allow time for service providers to catch up with demand and ensure that infrastructure can adequately support the population.

An Investment in Parks and Quality of Life

On the subject of recreation, the mayor asserts, “We do pride ourselves on being a scenic city, in that we do have those green spaces. We have a connectivity plan where all of our parks and trails do connect, and as we continue to grow, that’s something that we’ll still harness.”

Michael Mashburn, City Manager

With the recent passing of a $109 million parks bond, Princeton is looking forward to major upgrades and expansions to its green spaces, with connectivity remaining top of mind. Although the plans are still in development, Mashburn portrays, “With the residents we currently have and the ones that we anticipate having in a very short time, we don’t have enough parks and green space to service everybody. We’re taking a holistic approach to the entire city, making sure the amenities are distributed equally throughout the city. We have some cool initial ideas that will wow some folks once we’re ready to talk about those. You can do a lot with $109 million. So, the city’s going to look very, very different in a few years.”

Looking Ahead

As Princeton continues to evolve, its leaders remain focused on smart and strategic growth. From enhancing communication and engagement with residents to fostering economic development and sustainability, the city is poised to set a standard as a vibrant and livable community. In the words of Kareem Evans, Vice Chairman of the Community Development Corporation, “Our priority is to continue to work with the EDC and the council, to get a CEO in a position that can take what we started and run with it.”

Mashburn continues, “My top priority would be just making sure we have a really good plan that’s going to set the foundation and framework for Princeton over the next couple of decades. We’ve grown so fast, we need to be strategic with how we develop and what businesses we allow into the city. What we’re trying to do is listen to our residents, we need more places to shop and dine, and we need high-quality amenities that families can take advantage of. So, we’re going to be protective of our land and opportunities moving forward.”

Adding her final thoughts Mayor Chacon conveys, “We want Princeton to be a city that is set apart from all the other cities. We want to set the pace, and the standard, we want to lead. We want to be smarter, better, more strategic, and make sure that we have a healthy city on all fronts.”

AT A GLANCE

Princeton, Texas

What: A rapidly growing city with big plans for the future

Where: Collin County, Texas

Website: www.princetontx.gov