Plano approves zoning for AT&T's 200-foot Legacy Drive tower

Plano City Council voted 8-0 on May 26 to approve zoning changes for AT&T’s new headquarters at Legacy Drive and Parkwood Boulevard, clearing the way for a tower and public plaza that will become one of the most visible redevelopment projects in the city.

The approval matters because the tower will include stealth antennas, which required a planned development designation. Planning director Christina Day told the council the design had already been adjusted in response to public concerns, including a city code change that limits flashing, strobing, rotating or chasing light effects between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., except when required by the FAA.

The project is rising on the former Electronic Data Systems campus at 5400 Legacy Drive, a 54-acre property in the heart of Legacy business park. The site opened in 1985, helped fuel the corporate growth of west Plano and has sat vacant since 2018. City leaders have described the AT&T relocation as the first major corporate headquarters redevelopment project in Plano.

AT&T’s move is expected to bring more than 10,000 jobs from Dallas into Plano, shifting the company’s headquarters out of Whitacre Tower downtown. Reporting on the project has placed the broader campus at roughly $1.3 billion to $1.4 billion and about 2.3 million square feet, with plans showing a tower described as 280 feet tall, plus a daycare center, parking garages and a pedestrian bridge. AT&T has targeted an initial move-in during the second half of 2028, while its lease in Downtown Dallas runs through the end of 2031.

Applicant Bill Dahlstrom described the project as placemaking and said the goal is an iconic, pedestrian-oriented environment rather than just another office tower. That vision now has zoning approval behind it, along with $20 million in city incentives approved in February. The package includes a 65% property tax rebate for 25 years, and AT&T must retain its first 4,000 employees and reach 10,000 employees by the end of 2039 to receive the full grant.

Plano officials have said the EDS campus was one of three properties that started Legacy business park, alongside the JCPenney and Frito Lay campuses. The city is also planning two statues honoring Ross Perot near the Shops at Legacy later this year, a reminder that the corridor’s corporate history is still visible even as AT&T prepares to redefine its skyline.