McKinney 55+ Living: Age Restricted Communities, Costs, and Over 65 Tax Rules

Quick answer: Inside McKinney, the verified 55+ options are Del Webb at Trinity Falls (the only big new construction one), Fireside Village McKinney, and Country Lane Villas. The Retreat at Craig Ranch is marketed to older buyers but its age status needs confirming. Within a short drive you'll find Heritage Ranch in Fairview, Gatherings at Twin Creeks in Allen, Frisco Lakes, and Del Webb communities in Celina and Little Elm. Texas gives homeowners 65 and older a bigger school exemption and a school tax ceiling that can follow you to a new home.

When people ask me for "55+ communities in McKinney," they usually picture a long list. The real list is short. Once I separate the communities that are legally age restricted from the ones that are just designed with empty nesters in mind, McKinney itself has only a handful, and the rest are 20 to 30 minutes away.

I'm PJ Zaji. I work as a REALTOR, and I'm also a loan officer with NEXA Mortgage. A good part of my Collin County business is downsizing: someone selling the big two story in Plano, Allen, or Frisco and moving to one level, a smaller yard, and neighbors who want to play pickleball at 9 a.m. Below are the communities I was able to verify, the price and HOA ranges, and the tax rules that start to matter at 65.

A caution on the numbers. Most of the price and HOA ranges come from 55places community pages I viewed in October 2026. Those are aggregated and not confirmed by each HOA, so use them to narrow your search, then verify. Anything I couldn't confirm, I left out.

First, Figure Out Which Kind of Community It Is

Listings blur these two terms all the time, and the difference affects both daily life and resale.

PJ's take: I don't think one is better. It's about what you want next door in ten years. Either way, ask for the HOA declaration or deed restrictions and read the age language yourself instead of trusting a listing remark.

The McKinney Options, Side by Side

Del Webb at Trinity Falls: the new build choice

Good fit if: you want a new home, a packed activity calendar, and someone on staff whose job is organizing it.

Nothing else inside McKinney combines new construction with a true age restriction at this scale. 55places describes it as a 127 acre section of north McKinney's Trinity Falls with 537 homes planned, and building has been underway since 2018. On Oct 28, 2026, NewHomeSource showed a starting price of $351,990, flagged as recently reduced. Del Webb's October 2026 pricing listed three series (Scenic, Distinctive, and Echelon) ranging from 1,274 square feet up past 2,245 square feet.

Residents get a 10,000 square foot clubhouse, a resort style pool, a fitness center, pickleball and bocce, and a lifestyle director. They can also use everything in the larger Trinity Falls plan, including B.B. Owen Park at 350 acres and roughly 20 miles of trails, per the developer.

The tax catch: Trinity Falls isn't in the City of McKinney's tax jurisdiction, so homes there pay a MUD tax in place of city tax. With 2026 school, county, and college rates plus MUD No. 1's 2025 rate of 0.9847, the combined rate comes to about 2.28 per $100 before exemptions. HOA numbers don't agree either: 55places says $120 to $164 a month, while one 2026 listing showed $2,130 a year. The resale certificate is the number to trust. My Trinity Falls page covers the wider master plan.

Fireside Village McKinney: small and low key

Good fit if: you'd rather have a quiet street and yard care than a big clubhouse.

Fireside Custom Homes and Carnegie Homes built these 48 homes. 55places lists 2 or 3 bedroom plans of 1,325 to 2,274 square feet. Dues of $200 a month pay for mowing, irrigation, and landscaping. You get trails, a small park, and open green space, but no amenity center and no gate.

Country Lane Villas: the lowest entry price

Good fit if: budget matters most and you want the outside of the house handled for you.

These are 65 attached, ranch style homes from 2005 to 2013. Per 55places, every one has 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, and a 2 car garage, in sizes of 1,382 to 1,941 square feet. The clubhouse includes a fitness room, indoor shuffleboard, a theater, a library, and game rooms, and there's an outdoor pool and an activity director. Dues of $250 to $345 a month cover lawn care, landscaping, exterior maintenance, and common areas. Everything here is resale.

The Retreat at Craig Ranch: verify before you assume

Good fit if: you want southwest McKinney and golf close by, and you don't need a strictly age restricted community.

Roughly 300 single family homes went up here from 2011 to 2019, built by Nathan Carlisle, Dunhill, and Trendmaker according to 55places. It shows up on plenty of 55+ lists, yet 55places' own page for it reads "No Age Restrictions." I also looked at a 2026 listing there, and it said nothing about age. Read the HOA documents. That listing was a 2015 home of 1,705 square feet at $435,000, with $455 a month in HOA dues and Frisco ISD schools.

Location is the selling point: a 9,000 square foot clubhouse for residents, use of the Cooper fitness center, and TPC Craig Ranch a short drive away. Craig Ranch is within McKinney city limits, and I found no PID or MUD. See my Craig Ranch page for the broader community.

Villas at Willow Grove: age targeted, open to anyone

This is an attached home community of 157 homes built from 2010 to 2018 and aimed at older buyers. 55places shows prices in the $300Ks to $400Ks. There's no age requirement, and I couldn't find HOA figures I'd stand behind.

Want to Rent Before You Buy?

Mera Craig Ranch is a 55+ rental community in Craig Ranch with 216 apartments and cottages, each with an attached garage, according to a sponsored Community Impact article from July 2025. You must be 55 or older to live there. It's independent living, not assisted living. Renting for a year is a reasonable way to test the area before you commit, especially if you're coming from out of state.

A Short Drive Away

Heritage Ranch, Fairview

Here's the one people most often think is in McKinney. It's actually in Fairview, though a lot of homes have McKinney 75069 mailing addresses. Per 55places, it has 1,144 homes from 2000 to 2007 by builders such as K. Hovnanian and Lennar, a gated entry, and an 18 hole, par 72 Arthur Hills course. Monthly dues land between about $208 and $327, and there's a monthly food and beverage minimum. In mid October 2026, active listings on Redfin and Homes.com ranged from about $319K to $625K. Owners pay Fairview city tax, and one 2026 listing showed Lovejoy ISD, whose 2026 rate is 1.2373. More on the town on my Fairview page.

Gatherings at Twin Creeks, Allen

Beazer built 189 single level condos for buyers 55 and older here, spread over seven buildings that are each four stories tall. 55places lists 1,529 to 2,031 square feet, 2 bedrooms and 2 baths in every unit, and at least one garage space. If you want an elevator and no yard at all, this is the format. Shared building costs push dues higher, $273 to $574 a month.

Uptown Crossing, Allen

A 55+ community of 129 homes built from 2020 onward. 55places shows the $500Ks to $600Ks.

Frisco Lakes, Frisco

Del Webb built about 3,000 single family homes here from 2006 to 2020, and 55places notes the community has a private 18 hole course called Frisco Lakes Golf Club. It's all resale now, and dues are about $120 to $200 a month.

Del Webb at Legacy Hills, Celina

Del Webb has been building in Celina since 2024. Floor plans span 1,274 to 2,782 square feet per 55places, and the clubhouse sits on the water with a restaurant and bar. Dues run about $142 to $155 a month.

Del Webb at Union Park, Little Elm

Inside a gated section of Union Park sit roughly 600 one level homes, under construction since 2017, with a lifestyle director and HOA dues running roughly $120 to $146 monthly. It's a longer drive from McKinney but closer to Lake Lewisville.

A few more worth a look

• Prosper: Villas at Windsong Ranch is age targeted; Ladera at Prosper is age restricted with 244 homes priced in the $400Ks to $600Ks.

• Wylie: Woodbridge Villas has 198 age targeted homes, and Ladera Wylie, an age restricted community of 159 homes, began building in 2025.

• Plano: The Village at Prestonwood (55+, 128 attached homes from 2005 to 2007).

Communities I Researched and Didn't Include

• Courtyards at Craig Ranch: I found no 55+ community under this name. In Craig Ranch, the older adult options are The Retreat and the Mera rental community.

• Heritage Ranch as a McKinney community: It's Fairview, so it's listed above with the nearby options.

• Robson Ranch: That's in Denton, far enough west that I left it out.

• Trilogy: No Trilogy community turned up in McKinney or in the surrounding Collin County towns.

Turning 65: The Tax Rules That Change the Math

Texas gives older homeowners two meaningful breaks, and when you're downsizing they can be worth more than the price difference between two houses.

A bigger school exemption

FOX 4 reported that in November 2025, Texas voters approved two increases. Proposition 13 lifted the standard school homestead exemption to $140,000, up from $100,000. Proposition 11 took the extra exemption for owners who are disabled or at least 65 to $60,000, up from $10,000. Combined, up to $200,000 comes off the school district taxable value of your homestead.

The school tax ceiling

According to the Texas Comptroller, once a homestead qualifies for the 65 or older exemption, the school district tax on it is capped at what you paid in the year you qualified, for as long as you own it and live there. Improvements beyond ordinary repairs, adding a room for example, can raise that cap. You apply with the appraisal district in the year you turn 65.

Taking the ceiling with you

Moving doesn't mean starting over. You can carry the ceiling's percentage to a new homestead: get a transfer certificate from the appraisal district where your current home sits, then submit it with your exemption application on the new home. Cities, counties, and junior college districts may adopt their own ceilings. A MUD cannot, and any local ceiling only moves with you if the new home is in the same city, county, or college district.

From the loan side: this is why I run Trinity Falls differently for a 65 plus buyer. The school portion of the bill can be capped, but the MUD portion isn't, so the escrow can still climb if the MUD rate or your value goes up. If you're planning around a fixed income, I'll show you the payment with and without that risk. The full rate breakdown is in my McKinney tax bill explainer.

My Checklist Before You Make an Offer

1. Confirm age restricted or age targeted from the declaration, not the listing.

2. Find out precisely what the HOA pays for: yard care, exterior paint, roofs, irrigation.

3. Ask whether there's a master HOA plus a sub HOA, and whether there's a food and beverage minimum.

4. Read the rules on younger family members or caregivers living there long term.

5. Count the current listings and how long they've been sitting. In a 48 or 65 home community, three for sale is a lot.

6. Find out whether a MUD or PID sits on the tax bill in addition to HOA dues.

7. Map the drive to your doctors and the nearest hospital. Medical City McKinney is in town.

Prefer an ordinary neighborhood with a single story home? That's a perfectly good plan, and the resale pool is bigger when you sell. I can search one story resales across McKinney with no age rules at all.

Questions Downsizers Ask Me

Which McKinney 55+ community has the lowest prices?

Country Lane Villas, which 55places lists from the high $200Ks to the mid $300Ks as of October 2026. It's resale only.

Can I buy a brand new home in a McKinney 55+ community?

Yes, at Del Webb at Trinity Falls. NewHomeSource showed a $351,990 starting price on Oct 28, 2026.

Why does Heritage Ranch come up in McKinney searches?

Many homes there have McKinney 75069 mailing addresses, but the community is in Fairview and pays Fairview city tax.

Can my younger spouse or adult child live with me?

Often, within limits. Federal rules only require 80% of occupied homes to have one resident 55 or older, and each HOA writes its own occupancy rules. Read the declaration before you assume.

Will my over 65 school tax freeze carry over if I move?

The school ceiling percentage can transfer to a new Texas homestead with a transfer certificate from your current appraisal district. A city or county ceiling moves with you only if you stay inside that same city or county.

Are 55+ HOA dues worth it?

That depends on what they cover. Country Lane Villas and Fireside Village include lawn care and landscaping, while Del Webb's dues support a clubhouse and staff. Compare the budget and resale certificate against what you'd spend on your own.

Ready to Downsize? Call or Text PJ

If you're selling a larger home to move into one of these communities, call or text me at 469-817-6060 or reach me through the contact page. I'll price your current house, line up the purchase, and set up the loan, and if you have to close on the new place first, I'll build a bridge plan for that. Here's how I approach the sale side: selling your home with PJ. One person keeps the whole timeline together.

Sources: Overview of the Housing for Older Persons Act; 55places McKinney page; 55places on Del Webb at Trinity Falls; NewHomeSource McKinney listings, viewed Oct 28, 2026; Del Webb's Trinity Falls page; Johnson Development's Trinity Falls overview; McKinney city tax page; Torelli Properties on MUD rates; 55places on Fireside Village; 55places on Country Lane Villas; 55places on The Retreat at Craig Ranch; 5125 Kentwood Dr listing; Sponsored Community Impact piece on Mera Craig Ranch, July 2025; 55places on Heritage Ranch; 55places Fairview page; Heritage Ranch listing; Redfin Fairview listings, October 2026; 55places on Gatherings at Twin Creeks; 55places on Frisco Lakes; 55places on Del Webb at Legacy Hills; 55places on Del Webb at Union Park; 55places Frisco page; FOX 4 on Propositions 11 and 13, November 2025; Texas Comptroller FAQ on 65 and older exemptions; 2026 rate and exemption tables from the Collin County Tax Assessor.