The public is beginning to experience business closures due to TxDOT’s major U.S. Highway 380 Expansion Project.
Several homes and businesses in Collin County are currently located on land chosen by the agency for the future freeway to ease traffic congestion.
Several customers were surprised to read the announcement on the door to Jason’s Deli, located along Highway 380/University Drive in McKinney, mainly because this location just opened in the Spring of 2023.
The deli’s closure is the first of more closures expected in the newly developed parcel of land.
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Additional businesses, all open within the past year or so, in the shopping center next door are also preparing to close. However, according to several employees and managers NBC 5 spoke with, a timeline has not yet been determined.
“It just seems weird. Scooters [drive-thru coffee] just opened up,” said Mike Brad who lives nearby and frequents the Jason’s Deli location.
TxDOT’s long-awaited and much-debated U.S. 380 freeway is set to be built directly where the buildings currently stand.
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For years, the state agency held public meetings and conducted environmental studies before bringing forward several potential routes for the freeway.
One analysis evaluated the potential environmental consequences of multiple reasonable alternatives for this project, including not building at all.
The Blue Alternative includes segments A, E, and C, creating a freeway from 380 near Coit Road in Prosper around the northern portion of McKinney and reconnecting to 380 in far East McKinney just south of New Hope.
Last fall, TxDOT documents stated the Blue Alternative would displace 38 businesses and 26 residences.
However, it avoids numerous planned and under-construction residences along Segment B that would be displaced by the Brown and Gold Alternatives.
When asked Wednesday for an updated number of affected homes and businesses, the agency’s spokesperson told NBC 5 that 35 companies and 22 homes are impacted.
The agency’s spokesperson said, ‘TxDOT is still working in the design phase of the project, which includes finalizing the design details, coordinating utilities, and acquiring right-of-way.’
The state has been approaching affected owners seeking to purchase their property a fair-market value, according to TxDOT.
If all avenues are exhausted, TxDOT could condemn properties through eminent domain.
The spokeswoman for Jason’s Deli confirms the location is closing due to the 380 Expansion Project.
‘We do have several area locations that will continue to serve that community, and we are making an effort to relocate impacted employees to these other locations,’ said Vice President of Marketing Kim Collura in a statement to NBC 5.
Customer Brad says he was relieved that the company is helping employees relocate.
As a business owner himself, Brad says he is concerned.
“Jason’s probably put a million dollars or so into this place. Do they get reimbursed,” he asked. “If not, that’s terrible. But, as a person who lives around here, traffic on this road is atrocious so I don’t know what the answer is.”
Employees and managers at several small businesses in the shopping center said they have been told they will remain open for now.
The manager at Royal Kings Liquor says they were surprised and upset to only recently learn they will have to close their doors for the project less than a year after opening.
According to the manager, who did not want to be interviewed on camera, they invested more than $100,000 to open the large store stocked from end to end with alcoholic beverages, even building a walk-in cooler.
He said They’ve only recently started to build a steady clientele after months of marketing investments.
They don’t anticipate customers will follow them to a new location.
John Robinson says he frequents the liquor store near his home.
“They’re cheap prices, they’re close,” he said. “I wouldn’t want them to go, especially them down the road, sad to see them [close] just because of a highway.”
When asked if the state offers relocation to affected business owners, TxDOT’s spokeswoman said yes: ‘Relocation benefits are offered to qualified property [owners] as part of the standard TxDOT ROW [right-of-way] acquisition process.’
It remains to be seen whether any of the locally owned shops in this particular shopping center will receive any financial help.
*Correction: TxDOT corrected figures provided in this report stating there are 38 business and 26 home displacements.
