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Neil Matkin, district president of Collin College (second from right) speaks during \u201cThe Future of Collin County\u201d panel discussion at Urban Rio on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in Plano.<\/p>\n
El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Collin County leaders gathered on Tuesday to explore how one of America\u2019s fastest growing regions<\/a> is keeping up and moving forward. The conversation came as part of a community conversation<\/a> organized by The Dallas Morning News.<\/p>\n The leaders joined about 75 residents at Urban Rio in downtown Plano. The discussion was moderated by Sarah Blaskovich,\u00a0The News\u2019 restaurant critic, and came as part of The News\u2019 three-day pop-up newsroom<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe center of gravity is moving north,\u201d said Blaskovich, who grew up in Plano.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Speakers including Plano Mayor John Muns, former Frisco Mayor Maher Maso and Gloria Salinas, a senior vice president at Frisco\u2019s economic development corporation, discussed attracting businesses and navigating competition.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dave Woodyard, CEO of Catholic Charities Dallas, and the Rev. Janet Collinsworth, founder and CEO of Jericho Village<\/a>, pointed to challenges that the region faces, from affordable housing<\/a> to healthcare.\u00a0<\/p>\n Related: Dallas Morning News brings pop-up newsroom to downtown Plano this week<\/a><\/p>\n Galen Roberts, director of water resources at the North Texas Municipal Water District, and Neil Matkin, district president of Collin College, spoke on the need for infrastructure to keep up with the rapid growth<\/a>.<\/p>\n The community conversation was born out of the newsroom\u2019s initiative to build trust<\/a>. The News invited residents to get to know local journalists covering Dallas-Fort Worth and its future.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Tough competition\u00a0<\/p>\n When Maso moved to Frisco<\/a> in the 1990s, \u201cit was just a farm, dirt roads,\u201d he said. \u201cYou couldn\u2019t really buy a pair of socks in the town.\u201d The area added population and jobs, he said, and Frisco looked to Plano as a \u201cbig brother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe learned a lot from how they grew,\u201d Maso said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now mature cities, Frisco, Plano, Dallas and others compete for businesses and sports franchises\u00a0\u2014 from the Dallas Stars<\/a> to the Dallas Cowboys, and AT&T to Samsung. But Salinas said \u201coptionality in a region\u201d makes a win for one city a win for the region.\u00a0<\/p>\n Plano Mayor John Muns speaks during \u201cThe Future of Collin County\u201d panel discussion at Urban Rio on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in Plano.<\/p>\n El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n When compared to areas like Atlanta, Phoenix and Miami, \u201cDallas-Fort Worth as a region shows stronger,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019re leading the nation in Collin County for job growth \u2026 We build off of one another.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n With added business comes added people. Collin County is adding thousands of new residents each year. \u201cNo one\u2019s bringing water with them<\/a>,\u201d Roberts said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Leaders need to continue investment in infrastructure to ensure \u201cwe\u2019ve got affordable and sustainable water supplies<\/a> to continue that growth trajectory in the future,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Filling in the gaps<\/p>\n In Collin County, the median income is about $120,000, but about 30% of the population cannot afford basic necessities despite earning more than the federal poverty level, according to Census data and United\u202fFor\u202fALICE, a research organization.\u00a0<\/p>\n Related: As Collin County booms, local leaders are rethinking tax-cutting traditions<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n As Collin County grows, it has increasingly had to deal with urban issues it had previously evaded such as homelessness.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe can drive right by it and never realize it\u2019s there,\u201d Woodyard said of poverty across the county.<\/p>\n Collinsworth pointed to the rise in Plano students who qualify for free and reduced lunches in the last decade as a symptom of widening income inequality in Collin County.<\/p>\n \u201cThe growth is fantastic,\u201d Collinsworth said. \u201cBut we need to provide for that whole continuum of people who live in Collin County.\u201d<\/p>\n In a question and answer session, Jerry Frankel, a Plano resident since 1985, criticized city leaders for prioritizing tax incentives for corporations over funding programs to expand access to healthcare in a county that doesn\u2019t have a public hospital<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Gloria Salinas, senior vice president and chief growth officer at Frisco Economic Development Corporation, (center right) speaks during \u201cThe Future of Collin County\u201d panel discussion at Urban Rio on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in Plano.<\/p>\n El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n \u201cPeople who are working hard jobs have no access to a doctor,\u201d Frankel said. \u201cAnd cities \u2026 give aid to places like Walmart.\u201d<\/p>\n Transit trials\u00a0<\/p>\n As the county grows, stress on transportation<\/a> infrastructure is a major concern. The county has put more than $800 million in bond projects<\/a> on the ballot this November. Over half the projects relate to expanding roads.<\/p>\n Muns said the expansion of roads and highways wouldn\u2019t necessarily reduce traffic<\/a> because the expansion would incentivize more driving. \u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWe could widen Central [Expressway] today with four more lanes on each side and within five years it\u2019ll look like it did about an hour ago,\u201d Muns said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Rev. Janet Collinsworth, Jericho Village founder and CEO (center), speaks alongside David Woodyard, CEO of Catholic Charities Dallas (left) and Gloria Salinas, senior vice president and chief growth officer at Frisco Economic Development Corporation, during \u201cThe Future of Collin County\u201d panel discussion at Urban Rio on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in Plano.<\/p>\n El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n The Plano mayor advocated for more efficient public transportation<\/a> in Collin County.<\/p>\n Maso pointed to technology that optimizes traffic signal timing and autonomous vehicles as the future of transportation<\/a> in the region.\u00a0<\/p>\n Matkin spoke to the need to come together to solve Collin County\u2019s greatest challenges.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThat kind of collaboration only comes when you\u2019ve got leaders that are smiling at the future, they are willing to join agendas,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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