On Monday, May 11, 2026, the Collin County Commissioners Court approved the sale of nearly 19 acres on FM 1827, just south of New Hope. According to the Princeton Herald, that tract will become part of TxDOT's $8 billion Highway 380/Spur 399 bypass corridor, "which is not currently funded."
That pairing explains the eastern Collin County housing market in 2026. Land is changing hands for a freeway that has no construction money and no bid date. Its route was chosen years ago and runs through some of the region's most affordable single-family territory. The standard Texas seller disclosure form has no line asking whether the home sits near it.
The Form Has a Blank Where the Highway Would Go
Texas sellers of one-dwelling homes give buyers a notice under Property Code §5.008. The current version is TREC Form 55-1, listed with an effective date of May 28, 2026. Answers are based on what the seller believes and knows when signing.
Read the form for anything about a planned road. These are the closest items:
- "Unplatted Easements"
- "Any notices of violations of deed restrictions or governmental ordinances affecting the condition or use of the Property"
- "Any lawsuits directly or indirectly affecting the Property"
- "A private road on or adjoining the Property for which Seller is financially responsible for maintaining"
The form never mentions condemnation, right-of-way acquisition, a proposed highway, or a proposed road. Once an eminent-domain lawsuit is filed and affects a property, the lawsuit question comes into play. That is the last stage of the process, though. A home that sits a few hundred feet from a line drawn on a TxDOT schematic can fill out every box honestly without the freeway ever coming up.
Texas's Deceptive Trade Practices Act does treat real property as "goods," and it treats withholding known information as deceptive when it's meant to push someone into a deal they otherwise wouldn't make. Whether a particular highway notice meets that test depends on the facts, and that question belongs with a Texas real estate attorney. In practice, the reliable way to find out where the roads are going is to look yourself.
Two Lines, at Very Different Stages
Two freeways are drawn across this part of the county, and they are years apart in the approval process.
| US 380 bypass | Collin County Northeast Freeway | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Around north McKinney, north of Princeton, south of Farmersville | SH 121 at FM 2862 south to FM 75 at the future US 380 |
| Route status | Selected; Blue Alternative chosen for McKinney in 2023 | "Recommended corridor," not a final design |
| Size | 8 to 10 main lanes north of Princeton | 6 main lanes, two one-way frontage roads |
| Money | Not currently funded | Planning study only; construction not authorized |
| Next step | No letting schedule developed | Another public meeting expected in 2027 |
The bypass is the further along of the two. TxDOT's 2023 record of decision picked the Blue Alternative for the McKinney section, from Coit Road to FM 1827. That route loops a new freeway around north McKinney and rejoins existing US 380 near FM 1827 and New Hope Road. Around Princeton, the plan calls for an 11.7-mile new-location freeway north of town, from west of CR 337 to east of CR 458. Right-of-way widths range from 320 to 536 feet, and the plan includes a rebuilt bridge over Lake Lavon. The Princeton schematics show crossings or roadwork at FM 1377, CR 458, CR 408/Future Princeton Parkway, Twin Grove Park Road, CR 559, CR 985 and CR 560. Near Farmersville, the new freeway runs south of town and ties in at Audie Murphy Parkway/CR 567, with crossings at SH 78 and CR 607. Existing US 380 stays in place.
The Northeast Freeway is newer and looser. Its recommended corridor was presented on August 6, 2026, at Clark Middle School in Princeton. The Farmersville Times described it as a Collin County meeting, and the Princeton Herald credited TxDOT and counted 99 attendees. The corridor runs south from FM 2862 through the area east of Valdasta and Altoga. It was shifted east of Altoga and refined near Sister Grove Creek. The preferred southern end connects directly with FM 75 at the future US 380 Princeton Freeway, and a secondary option connects at future Princeton Parkway and Dowlen Parkway. Comments closed September 8. The Farmersville Times reported a third public meeting expected in spring 2027 and a public hearing later that year. Officials also said the study does not authorize construction.
Environmental Clearance Doesn't Mean Money Is Coming
On the bypass, environmental clearance has not brought a construction date. In May 2026, TxDOT spokesperson Dianne Tordillo told the Princeton Herald that design, right-of-way acquisition and utility relocation "are ongoing in portions of the corridor," but "letting schedules have not been developed at this time."
The regional planning agency's numbers explain why. A North Central Texas Council of Governments committee packet dated July 24, 2026, lists tentative estimates, not a committed schedule:
- Bloomdale Road East to Trinity Falls frontage roads: September 2031
- McKinney frontage roads, west University Drive to Ridge Road: February 2032
- Princeton frontage-road breakouts, FM 1827 to West Princeton Drive and Princeton Drive to FM 1377: around August 2032
- Coit to Bloomdale East freeway breakout: September 2032
- East Princeton Drive to CR 560: March 2033, marked insufficiently funded
- Farmersville: environmentally cleared, no letting date, funding insufficient
From today, October 2026, the earliest of those estimates is about five years away, and the Princeton breakouts are closer to six. Someone buying a home along the Princeton alignment this fall could own it through most of a typical ownership period with the line still sitting on the map and no work started.
Meanwhile, parcels keep moving one at a time. Community Impact reported in December 2024 that McKinney right-of-way acquisitions had begun, and TxDOT still described acquisition as ongoing in May 2026. Displacement estimates exist but are dated. The 2023 final-alignment report projected 26 residences and 38 businesses for the McKinney route. TxDOT's 2024 Princeton hearing materials projected 18 single-family homes. Farmersville's 2023 environmental materials anticipated three residential displacements. These are planning-stage figures, not a current count.
The corridor is already shaping land use, too. On May 4, Princeton's Planning & Zoning Commission voted 6-0 to raise the height limit in C-2 commercial districts within 1,000 feet of the highway right-of-way from 35 feet to 60. Development services director Shai Roos told the Princeton Herald that a developer she couldn't name was interested in building taller along the highway. The existing 380 widening from Airport Drive to CR 458 was 25% complete, with completion estimated at the end of 2028.
The Slow Market Gives Buyers Time to Check
The two towns closest to these lines are also the two slowest single-family markets in the comparison. NTREIS figures for August 2026 show:
- Princeton: median sale price $303,750, down 3.9% from $316,000 in August 2025. Days on market were 75, inventory was 6.1 months, and 32 closed sales compared with 167 active listings. Homes sold at 93.9% of list price.
- Farmersville: median sale price $294,385, up 6.1% from $277,500, on only 15 closed sales. There were 112 active listings, days on market were 57, and inventory was 9.8 months.
- McKinney citywide: median $490,000 with 3.4 months of inventory and 55 days on market.
These citywide numbers don't isolate any freeway effect, and Farmersville's 15 sales are too few to read much into its price change. What they do show is pace. With six to ten months of supply, a Princeton or Farmersville buyer usually isn't competing with several offers on a weekend. There is time to open the TxDOT schematics on Keep It Moving Dallas and the corridor maps at collincountynortheastfreeway.com, find the street, and measure the distance before writing an offer. In a 3.4-month market like McKinney's, that window is shorter.
That check also works for sellers. A seller who already knows where the home sits relative to CR 458 or FM 75 can answer a buyer's question before it slows the option period.
If the Line Does Reach a Property
If acquisition does reach a specific parcel, TxDOT's process follows a set order. Its state-purchase booklet describes contact with the owner, a chance to go along with the appraiser, and then a written offer based on the approved value, with a copy of the appraisal. TxDOT's right-of-way manual says the initial offer arrives by certified mail. It includes the parcel, the appraisals, an agency contact, the Landowner's Bill of Rights, and a proposed deed. The date of that initial offer starts negotiations and is the main date used to determine relocation benefits.
Texas law requires the Landowner's Bill of Rights at least seven days before a final offer. The Attorney General's version states that owners are entitled to adequate compensation, a certified appraisal, and a hearing before special commissioners before condemnation.
TxDOT's residential relocation brochure describes moving-cost reimbursement for eligible occupants and, where practicable, at least 90 days' written notice to move. An owner-occupant who lived in the home at least 90 days before negotiations began may qualify for a purchase supplement toward a comparable replacement home. TxDOT also warns that moving before negotiations begin may put relocation eligibility at risk.
A Few Common Questions
Will the Farmersville bypass replace existing US 380 through town?
No. TxDOT's Farmersville project materials show the new freeway running south of Farmersville, with existing US 380 staying in place.
Is the Northeast Freeway route final?
No. The Princeton Herald reported that the project remains in the "identify" phase. Schematic design will still settle interchange locations and right-of-way needs, followed by environmental review, final design, acquisition and construction, which TxDOT said would take several years.
Have any developers responded to the bypass route?
The clearest example is in northwest McKinney. In 2025, the Dallas Morning News reported that the proposed bypass cuts through the Huntington Park master-planned development site. The developer tied the timing of its multifamily phase to either bypass construction starting through the site or 100 acres of nearby single-family housing getting underway.
If you're looking at homes in Princeton, Farmersville or east McKinney, Rosie Carrasco Cox will pull up the TxDOT schematics and the Northeast Freeway corridor maps with you, in English or Spanish, before you write an offer. Schedule a free consultation and bring the addresses on your shortlist.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
