Princeton temporarily stops new housing as rapid growth strains infrastructure

City leaders said the unprecedented influx of new residents has pushed Princeton's water, wastewater and roadways to the brink.

A North Texas city is putting a temporary stop to its rapid growth: the city of Princeton has approved a four-month pause on new residential building approvals.

Leaders of the Collin County city said Princeton has been growing so fast that utilities and police are struggling to keep up, and a pause was needed to help the city expand safely.

During their meeting on Monday night, the Princeton City Council passed an official moratorium: a legal measure that would block new permits for residential buildings for 120 days.

“It became clear that we’re growing much faster than was anticipated or planned for,” said Tommy Mapp, Director of Public Works for the city of Princeton.

US Census data showed from 2005 to 2023, Princeton’s population exploded from just over 4,000 to more than 28,000 residents. Last year Princeton was named the third-fastest growing city in the country after its population rose 22%.

City leaders said Princeton’s utilities haven’t kept up with the surging growth. A memo from city staff on the moratorium said, “The city’s water, wastewater and roadway infrastructure is operating at, near, or beyond capacity.”

“With the moratorium, we’re looking for a little bit of breathing room,” said Mapp. “Some time to reevaluate how we’re growing, where we’re growing, and how we’re going to continue to grow into the future.”

Princeton’s leaders said they would be able to use the next four months to draft new zoning, subdivision, and roadway plans to manage the growth.

But utilities weren’t the only issue: Princeton police said the department needed 30 more officers to meet demand for the current population.

“We’ve been extremely busy these last couple months, we do need a bit of a break so that way we can one, catch our breath,” said Princeton police chief James Waters. “And two, with the recent approval in the budget, hire these new officers and allow us to get them trained.”

The motion for a residential development moratorium passed the city council unanimously, and some residents said they believed it would give Princeton the best chance to succeed in years to come.

“I imagine it will be calm in the meetings when you’re not so busy approving developers devouring our community’s land,” said Dorinda Powell. “And thank you for considering the residents that already live here.”

Under Texas law, residential projects that are already in progress won’t be affected by the moratorium. Anyone who believes their project should be allowed to get a permit can apply for a waiver to be voted on by the city council.