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The southwest corner of U.S. 380 and Tennessee Street used to be home to the dilapidated Budget Motel, which had a reputation of being a crime haven, but was also home to 22 people.
That is no longer the case.
The motel has been demolished, and a 10,400-square-foot shopping center has been built in its place and will bring tax dollars into the area east of U.S. 75.
Preston Whisenant developed the shopping center, current tenants of which include Anna dentist Jeffrey Ludlow’s satellite dental office, a Cash Now financial institution and the El Gitano Mexican restaurant. The center still has 5,500 square feet of space available for lease, and Whisenant said he hopes to attract a tax or accounting office and an, insurance provider as tenants.
The finishing touches are currently being applied to the center, and it should be completed by today, Whisenant said. The tenants should be moved in and their businesses should be open in September or October, Whisenant said.
Whisenant lives in Dallas, but his family has strong ties to McKinney and are some of the original Collin County pioneers, he said. He is glad that the former Budget Motel site has a new purpose, he said.
“McKinney has always treated my family well, and I always wanted to do something to revitalize the east side of McKinney. When I saw that property, I knew that I saw an opportunity and that something needed to be done with it, due to its history,” Whisenant said.
That history included calls to the McKinney Police Department about narcotics being sold at the motel and about prostitutes working there, according to police reports.
The motel, which was originally called the Brown Motel for many years, was listed as a substandard structure in a Nov. 13, 2006 city inspection. S & H International Investment, Inc., the former owner of the motel, did not make the required 57 repairs needed to bring the building up to code. The former motel building had damaged, cracked and buckled walls; cracks in the property’s foundation; damaged wood on the roof; rotted decking; leaks; and faulty shingles and rafters. It was also sagged and buckled in places, according to the Nov. 16, 2006, inspection report. The motel was eventually demolished and Whisenant Properties purchased the land.
Whisenant also said that the city was very forthcoming in minimizing the hurdles and approving the site plan for the shopping center. The McKinney Economic Development Corporation’s board of directors also gave Whisenant Properties, which Whisenant and his family members own, $50,000 in early 2007 to help with the cost of infrastructure improvements for the shopping center.
Whisenant has received feedback from some people at the city who said they knew that we would put up a good product, Whisenant said.
“They see this as being a kick-start to future redevelopment on the east side,” Whisenant said.
Contact staff writer Brandi Hart at hartb@acnpapers.com. To post comments online, access this story at www.scntx.com.
