On July 22, 2026, city officials in Princeton, Texas stood at a groundbreaking ceremony for a Kroger Marketplace. It was treated as a milestone, and for a city that had spent years without a full-service grocery store inside its limits, it was one. The store will not open until late 2027. The gap between the groundbreaking and the planned opening is one part of the timeline buyers may consider when comparing homes in Princeton.

Princeton's population went from 17,027 at the 2020 census to an estimated 48,362 by mid-2026. Somewhere in that stretch, between July 2023 and July 2024, the city grew 30.6% in a single year, fast enough that the U.S. Census Bureau named it the fastest-growing city in the country. That is the headline most buyers see. During that period, the city paused new residential building permits for more than a year amid concerns about water, sewer, and road capacity. Buyers comparing Princeton's price tag to McKinney's or Frisco's may also consider that context.

The Freeze Nobody Expected

On September 23, 2024, the Princeton City Council passed a moratorium blocking new residential building permits for 120 days. As NBC DFW reported, the reasoning, laid out in a staff memo at the time, was blunt: the city's water, wastewater, and roadway infrastructure was operating at, near, or beyond capacity. Tommy Mapp, Princeton's public works director, put it simply to a local news crew: it had become clear the city was growing much faster than anyone had planned for.

It wasn't only pipes and pavement. Princeton's police department told the council it needed 30 more officers just to keep up with the population already there, on top of the growth still arriving. The 120-day pause was extended in January 2025 and again in June 2025, stretching the freeze to more than 14 months before it expired on November 30, 2025, as WFAA reported.

As CBS News Texas reported, one resident summed up the tradeoff at a public meeting during the extension debate:

"We need more commercial, more grocery, we need road infrastructure. 380 is basically our only in and out."

That's not a complaint about traffic in the abstract. U.S. Highway 380 is the single road most Princeton residents use to reach jobs, groceries, and everything else, and it was already straining under new subdivisions built faster than the road could widen.

Here's the population arc that forced the freeze, laid out year by year:

Development Outside the Moratorium's Scope

The moratorium’s reach depended in part on where a parcel was located.

According to a WFAA review of city records, requests to opt out of Princeton's ETJ jumped 36% after the moratorium hit the council's agenda, with some of those requests covering parcels over 200 acres. The reported increase was in requests, not necessarily completed opt-outs.

A subsequent state law changed the requirements for future moratoriums. House Bill 2559, authored by Frisco state Rep. Jared Patterson and signed by Gov. Greg Abbott, now requires two public hearings before any Texas city can enact a development moratorium, as WFAA reported. The Dallas Observer reported that the law caps any single freeze at 60 days and limits a city to one moratorium every two years. Mayor Eugene Escobar Jr. called the law a loss of local control. For buyers, one practical consequence is that Princeton cannot repeat what it just did.

What the Freeze Actually Bought

The 14 months weren't wasted, even if they didn't stop growth. Days after the freeze began in September 2024, then-Mayor Brianna Chacón said the city had already budgeted $17 million for road improvements. By the time the council voted on its June 2025 extension, staff reported progress on an updated water and wastewater capital improvement plan, including the design of a 3-million-gallon elevated water storage tank. Police hiring moved forward too. These are real, dated commitments, not promises on a wish list.

What the freeze did not produce, in the time it ran, was retail. Princeton's grocery and dining options are still catching up to a population that has nearly tripled since 2020, which is exactly why the Kroger groundbreaking landed as a milestone instead of a routine store opening.

Kroger and Other Retail Timelines

Princeton Town Center, the 66-acre retail development anchored by that Kroger Marketplace, sits at the corner of U.S. 380 and North Beauchamp Boulevard. Kroger's investment is nearly $40 million and is expected to create roughly 200 jobs, per the city's own announcement. Construction is underway. The doors open late 2027, more than three years after the moratorium began, in a city that has nearly tripled in population since 2020.

Other tenants are moving through the pipeline at varying speeds. A Texas Roadhouse location was filed with state regulators in fall 2025 targeting a July 2026 completion, but a Princeton Herald report published that same July still listed the restaurant among applications pending before the city, alongside PetSmart and a Murphy USA gas station and convenience store. The reports show that projected completion dates and city application status can differ.

If you're weighing Princeton against a more built-out Collin County suburb, the question isn't whether the home price is lower. It clearly is, and the city's own May 2025 announcement put median home values around $325,000, notably lower than nearby McKinney and Frisco. Buyers may consider the price difference alongside the status of infrastructure and retail projects, which are still being built out on timelines measured in years, not months.

A few things worth checking before you sign anything in Princeton:

• Drive US-380 at the time of day you'd actually commute, not on a weekend afternoon.
• Ask the builder or listing agent whether the specific parcel is inside city limits or the ETJ, and whether it was part of any opt-out filing.
• Ask which phase of Princeton Town Center is closest to your subdivision, and what's already open versus still under construction.
• Compare the city's own infrastructure updates, not just the sale price, against what a comparable home costs in McKinney or Melissa.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Princeton still under a building moratorium? No. The freeze that began September 23, 2024 ran through two extensions and expired November 30, 2025. Residential permitting has resumed since.

When does the new Kroger actually open? Late 2027, according to the city's own July 2026 groundbreaking announcement for Princeton Town Center.

Could Princeton freeze new construction again? Not on the same scale. House Bill 2559 now limits any single Texas city moratorium to 60 days and restricts a city to one every two years, which rules out a repeat of the 14-month pause Princeton just went through.

When comparing Princeton with nearby suburbs, buyers can weigh prices alongside project timelines. If you're considering how those factors fit your budget and timeline, or how financing differs between Princeton and a more built-out suburb, Real Estate Resources can walk through both sides with you. Start with a free home valuation and financing review, and bring your questions about US-380, the ETJ, and everything in between.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.