'121 North': Economic development chief says the city and McKinney are jointly marketing the SH 121 corridor

Allen's economic development agency has teamed up with McKinney to sell the State Highway 121 corridor to developers as a single destination, the head of the Allen Economic Development Corp. said in an article published Friday.

"We've forged a strategic partnership with McKinney because we want to jointly promote 121 North as a centralized area for mixed-use projects on both the north and south sides of the corridor," AEDC President and CEO Dan Bowman told REBusinessOnline, a commercial real estate news site.

Bowman described the effort as part of a broader shift in which economic development officials across Collin County work together to highlight shared trade areas.

He said that losing a company to a neighbor is still disappointing, but that a business landing next door helps the whole region, and that workers and companies do not pay attention to city limits when deciding where to live and shop.

The article did not say when the partnership began or whether it involves shared spending.

Recent arrivals Bowman cited

Bowman pointed to several companies to show Allen's push into technology and manufacturing:

• FiberLight, which he said recently put its headquarters in Allen, with fiber-optic interconnects being manufactured locally.
• BMK Pharma, which he said put nearly $50 million into a building in the city, adding that pharmaceutical firms have since shown interest.
• Moss Construction, which he said moved its Texas headquarters to Allen.

He also named Experian and Jack Henry & Associates as two of the city's oldest employers and said Allen's mix of industries means it is not dependent on any one of them.

On the retail side, Bowman cited Watters Creek, which he said has more than 50 retailers and restaurants, along with The Farm, Chicken N Pickle, High 5 Entertainment and the offices, hotels and convention center at Sloan Corners.

"You can't start with the end goal of bringing in the big office campus or employer without giving those people a reason to be here in the first place," he said.

Plano and Frisco economic development officials quoted in the same article described a similar mix of competition and cooperation among North Texas cities.

Sources

rebusinessonline.com