With about 25,000 residents, Anna has seen its population triple since 2010, and with the town expected to reach have 45,000 residents by 2030, planners are thrilled about the future and newcomers are basking in the present price point, while some longtime residents long for the good old days.
Sandwiched between McKinney and Sherman, Anna showcases its affordability and location as major reasons for explosive growth. Compared to Melissa and Sherman, two of its neighbors on U.S. Highway 75 north of U.S. Highway 380, Anna still has plenty of room to grow. It’s a blank canvas, according to Anna Mayor Nate Pike, and planners want the city to be known for having an easy path to development.
“If you want to do a project in Anna, the answer is yes. We always start with a yes,” Pike said. “It doesn’t mean that we won’t end up at a no, if it’s not the right fit. But we want to tell people interested in Anna, if you want to do a project, we’re here to help you be successful, as long as it fits the culture, the vision for the future and our comprehensive plan.”
The plan includes capitalizing on the thousands of people coming to Sherman, about 20 miles north, for jobs with Texas Instruments and GlobiTech once the companies complete their multibillion-dollar semiconductor projects.
Bryan Glasshagel, senior vice president at housing research firm Zonda, said by comparison Melissa is more built up than Anna, and Sherman, though it still has growth potential, is already an established city.
“Van Alstyne is probably similar given that it is the next frontier as you move into Grayson County. Some ongoing activity, but lots of room to go,” Glasshagel said.
Some Anna natives aren’t as yes-minded as their mayor and express mixed feelings about the growth.
“A bunch of us want our hometown back. It’s not the same anymore,” said Mindy Godwin, who works in the kitchen at Lihoudies Authentic Greek Cuisine & Bakery in the old downtown area and grew up in Anna. “We’ve got people who moved in from out of town; they’re trying to take over.”
Godwin misses the simple life from years past and said it’s sad to watch old homes and buildings get demolished to make way for roadways.
“My grandparents’ house is 120 years old. They’ll be wanting to tear it down next,” she said.
Her brother, Glen Reno, lives in that house and grew up in the home next door.
“When I graduated from high school, there were only 500 people in this town. From the Sonic west, it was all farmland,” said Reno, who admits he resisted development as it began.
“‘We don’t need all of this in Anna,’” he recalled of his thoughts. “But I’ve adapted. I just don’t like all of the traffic.”
Reno said he too misses the old days and hopes many of the old buildings in the downtown area will be preserved or even better, revived — keeping the old town charm while adding outdoor lights or other features to make it special and more pedestrian-friendly.
“There are a few buildings they tore down to make [State] Highway 5 wider,” he said. “They also tore down a lot of houses — many where I used to go to play or go to cookouts.They’re all gone.”
Joey Grisham, director of economic development for Anna, said the unfortunate side to growth is having to tear down homes or buildings. But sometimes it’s necessary, he said.
“Not expanding roadways creates more public safety concerns and massive congestion,” he said.
Grisham said that fortunately, the city and others are investing in historical initiatives, such as restoration of the A. Sherley & Bro. Hardware Store, the Sherley House, Anna Train Depot and a Mogul train locomotive that was originally built in 1906.
“Like other communities, Anna wants to honor the past while creating new opportunities that bring the downtown back to life,” he said.
Reno said one business he frequented growing up and hopes will survive growth is Spurlock’s Malt Shop. He described a time when you could drop spare change into a jukebox to hear favorite tunes, and buy hamburgers delivered by workers wearing roller skates.
“That’s where you used to go to hang out and meet girls,” he said.
Kristi and Michael Perez have owned the business since 2012. The Malt Shop’s business name was then changed, adding “Spurlock’s,” which is Kristi Perez’s maiden name.
“There’s not a lot of these places still standing. It was nostalgic for me,” she said about buying the Anna business.
The Perez family moved to Anna in 2007, when the town had no grocery stores and only one traffic light, Kristi Perez said She said she realizes growth is good for the city, because it creates places to eat and shop and provides jobs.
“But it does make it tougher on the mom-and-pop places. We can’t really compete with the chains,” she said.
Another challenge are rising utility prices and other costs associated with older buildings. The malt shop’s was built in 1958, she said.
“It requires a lot of maintenance,” she said. “It gets tougher as the years go on. It takes a little know-how with these older buildings, but with so many memories, we want to keep it going.”
Perez said despite the hardships, she is happy about the city’s direction.
“We’re excited to see what the downtown growth plans are,” Perez said. “We want to stay here and keep this little place alive.”
David Villatoro, manager of Stain Busters Carpet Care, said Anna’s growth is driving more customers to his business. Villatoro remembers visiting Anna as a child when there were only corn fields and a high school. He moved to Anna from Houston six years ago and said that even since then, things have changed dramatically.
Villatoro said it is nice to have more retail options closer to home.
“It’s not bad. It also helps with exposure for our business. We get calls from Allen and McKinney,” he said.
Grisham said for Anna, as with most suburban cities, economic development is at the top of the priority list when forming a strategic plan.
“So what happens is you get this heavy influx of residential and then you want to continue to bring in commercial to offset that property tax burden,” he said.
When Grisham first started in 2019, he said City Council agendas were about a page long.
“Now it’s usually like 10 to 12 pages of just projects,” he said. “If I went through every project and every potential project for multifamily, single-family, commercial, it’s like the expression ‘sipping from a fire hose.’”
The explosive growth is driven by residents’ desire for homes at a good price point in a location near major employers.
“Anna is more affordable than some of the surrounding Collin County communities. And not really that much further north if you work in McKinney, Frisco or Plano,” he said. “Then, you throw in what’s happening in Sherman … So now you’ve got kind of an accordion effect.”
Tamar Allen said Anna’s close proximity to Plano is one reason her family moved to the city. She said they also liked Anna’s small-town feel and the direction in which the town is headed.
“It’s good to see how it’s growing. They’re doing a great job,” she said of city officials.
Allen and her husband bought their home in 2017. Before that, they had been renting in Irving after moving to Texas from Phoenix.
“We looked in different cities, but when our realtor found something in Anna, we came out and took a look,” she said. “It’s a small city, but it’s in close proximity to everything and not too far from my husband’s job in Plano. We love it, our children love it. We plan on being here for quite a while.”
City officials recently held an economic development forum targeting developers, brokers and commercial real estate professionals. A few highlights:
Anna Surgery Center: On the northwest corner of U.S. Highway 75 and FM455; includes four operating rooms, four procedure rooms and an integrated gastrointestinal suite.
ER at Anna: North of Walmart on U.S. 75, this is a freestanding emergency center run by Texoma Medical Center; future phases to include medical offices.
Anna Business Park: On State Highway 5, this 82-acre site was sold by the city to Holt Cat, an authorized Caterpillar heavy equipment and engine dealer that sells to other industrial users.
Anna Ranch: On the Collin County Outer Loop, the site is zoned industrial, multifamily and single family, with construction to begin this year.
Anna Town Center: Anchored by Walmart at U.S. Highway 75, the 115-acre project includes AT&T, Great Clips, CVS, Starbucks, Chik-fil-A, Salsa Tex-Mex, Whataburger, Panda Express, Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, Jersey Mike’s, Chili’s, Home Depot/Chipotle Mexican Grill/Texas Roadhouse.
Anacapri by Megatel: On the east side of U.S. Highway 75 near Anna High School. Phase I is sold out. The project features a 2.3-acre crystal lagoon, 1,239 single-family lots and 600 multifamily units.
Villages of Hurricane Creek: Located off U.S. Highway 75 and FM 455, 1,794 single-family lots, 400 multi-family units and 50,000 to 60,000 square feet of commercial.
Liberty Hills: On U.S. Highway 75, the mixed-use development includes single-family, multifamily, commercial, and medical on an 864-acre tract.
Crystal Park: On the west side of U.S. Highway 75 near FM 455 on 391 acres, it will include 82 acres of mixed-use development, 981 single-family lots, commercial and a professional campus.
The Woods at Lindsey Place: On the east side of U.S. Highway 75 where Rosamond Parkway was extended, the project features 942 single-family lots with 600 multifamily units, 275 acres, under construction.
Arden Park: On the south side of FM 455 east of Natural Springs Park, 28 acres, 144 home sites, an amenities center, a community pool, a dog park, and walking trails connecting to a city park and commercial space; under construction.
Meadow Vista: North of Walmart on the east side of U.S. 75; 763 single-family lots on 223 acres, with construction to start late 2023 to early 2024.
Coyote Meadows: On the east side of State Highway 5 near Rosamond Parkway; 153 acres including 731 lots, single-family homes and townhomes; under construction.
NexMetro: On the east side of U.S. 75 and Buddy Hayes Boulevard; 65 acres including 533 multifamily units with commercial lots; construction to start this year.
Multifamily under construction: Waterview, 300 units on State Highway 5; Parmore Senior Living, 185 units in Anna Town Square; The Grand at Anna Town Square, 280 units; Palladium East Foster Crossing, 237 units; Canvas at Anna, 125 Single family for rent units on Foster Crossing; Taylor Morrison, single family for rent, 157 units behind Walmart; The Quinn, 330 units on U.S. 75; Villages of Waters creek, 325 units on FM455
Multifamily coming soon: Sharp/Finley at Anna Town Square, 320 units; The District/Anna Station, 191 units; AnaCapri, 300 units; Woods at Lindsey Place, 150 units; Liberty Senior Living, 200 units; NexMetro, 533 units
