Commuting to/ from Richardson (Dallas, Plano: houses, neighborhood, to buy)

[Winter01]

We are trying to figure out where we should buy a house but have concerns about commute times/traffic. Our jobs are in Richardson near Hwy 75 & Campbell exit. We liked McKinney & want to buy there but everyone is telling us the commute from McKinney to Richardson is unbearable. Can anyone give estimated commute times to and from the following areas....or possibly suggest other areas we might want to consider. The time of day would be to Richardson--6:15 am, return: 3:30 - 3:45 pm.
Also--can we get worst case scenario--going at 7:30 am, returning 4:30 pm.
Is there a car pool lane on 75 because we will be driving together?

In addition to McKinney we have considered:
Allen
Sachse (Woodbridge area)
Wylie
**We would really like to find a newer home built in the last 5-10 years in the $250-$275 range. Trees and greenbelts are important to us and that is why we really liked McKinney, especially the area right off of Eldorado near the golf course. We have two young children & are just fine with boring suburbia.
Any suggestions & info would be great!

[MaryS80]

the commute between Richardson and McKinney isn't that bad. I had to work out in McKinney today and from where I live (campbell and 190) it took about 25 minutes. However this was at 11 this morning so traffic was light. Seeing how you won't be traveling at peak hours, I don't think there will be much of a problem. It depends on where in McKinney as well. I only had to go to the southern edge, near Hardin and El Dorado, so that sounds pretty close to where you are looking.

[Debsi]

A lady in my office does that exact commute. She always complains about traffic and is frequently late in the morning (we open at 8:00).

You might be leaving early enough that it won't be a problem at 6:15 but not at 7:30.

[FarNorthDallas]

The HOV lane is supposed to open in late December on Hwy 75. That might help you. It will start in Allen at Exchange Parkway and go south to the High Five interchange, which is further than you need. It'll be free at first, but there is talk of making it a toll lane.

It is a tough commute, but your early hours may be all the difference you need. I'm near Campbell and Coit and I talked to a McKinney mom who was looking for houses in my area. She worked off Campbell not to far from 75 and she said the commute from McKinney was killing her and her husband who had to go even further south into Dallas. They loved their new McKinney house, they they were just away from their children too much sitting in their cars commuting.

I always advocate living close to your jobs if you have kids even if it means not getting that newer house in that "in" area, so I'm biased. I encourage you to reconsider an area within 5 miles of work, esp looking east and west along Campbell from 75.

[momof2dfw]

What about the Richardson area around Breckinridge Park and the Firewheel area of Garland? Straight shot down Campbell and a SUPER easy commute. Lots of trees, greenbelts, parks, etc.

[Gustav]

I have lived in McKinney for several years, and my commute to Richardson is tolerable. However, if you must arrive at work at a precise time, you will have some problems occasionally. Often it takes me more than an hour to make the 21 mile trip, especially in wet weather - for some reason, Dallas highways slow to a crawl when there is the slightest precipitation. On a good day, I can arrive in under 50 minutes. But I travel later in the morning.

[tashina]

I just bought a house and looked around the Richardson, Garland, Plano area (bought in Plano because I didn't mind older houses). I agree with momof2dfw. Look around Breckinridge Park. Pretty area with newer houses. Near the new mall. Easy commute. Spend more time with the kids. What's not to like?

[scyogi]

Hey Winter,

I live in Mckinney and I personally think a EVERYDAY commute would be hard. Now if you have the opportunity to work from the house that may ease the pain. 75 is just NOT pleasant. It is 2 lanes from Hwy 380 until you get pass Hwy 121. I am sure there are many people in Mckinney who make the same commute and survive. Fairview (off Hwy 5) or even Allen would put you just a tad closer and probably shave 15 to 20 minutes off easy. Houses in your price range are in both of the communities. I really like the Allen area. There is a neighborhood called Stacy Ridge you would probably find appealing. It is zoned in the Lovejoy school district. Good luck! Hope you make it here soon!

[Winter01]

Thanks for the info, I really appreciate it. Does anyone know how I would narrow down my search to houses in Stacy Ridge or Breckinridge Park? I am not sure of the zip codes & on my realtor's site I don't have the option of putting in specific sub divisions. Thanks!

[RichResident]

Originally Posted by FarNorthDallas

The HOV lane is supposed to open in late December on Hwy 75. That might help you. It will start in Allen at Exchange Parkway and go south to the High Five interchange, which is further than you need. It'll be free at first, but there is talk of making it a toll lane.

The HOV lane will not help when it immediately opens. It will bypass Richardson when it opens. There are lots of reason for this. It was originally going to be an elevated expensive one lane only hov lane. Then some Richardson leadership convinced whomever to do a cheaper two-way surface level open all the time set of HOV lanes. They planned the exits farther north and no original exits were planned for Richardson. Richardson could have held up the process and held up the HOV lane for everyone. They were good sports and said they would deal with the problem at some later review time. The down side is that Richardson gets no HOV lane exits at the moment.

RichResident