Plano seeks input on future of Legacy area through June 12 survey

Plano is opening the door for residents, visitors and business leaders to weigh in on the future of one of Collin County’s most valuable districts, with a Legacy Area Master Plan survey open through June 12. City officials say the responses will help decide how much of the northwest Plano area should tilt toward housing, office space, retail, entertainment, parks or a blend of uses as the city redraws long-term priorities.

The Legacy area covers about five square miles and is home to roughly 10,000 residents and more than 96,000 workers, making it one of the most economically important parts of Plano. Plano’s economic development office describes the broader Legacy business park as a 2,665-acre district with about 38 million square feet of office space, a scale that gives the planning process real consequence for traffic, jobs, housing mix and commercial reinvestment.

Christina Day, Plano’s director of planning, said the survey is meant to establish a shared vision and identify priorities for future development. The city is also asking what parts of the area people want preserved, a question that matters in a district already defined by decades of corporate growth, mixed-use development and redevelopment pressure. City staff plan to bring an update to the Plano Planning & Zoning Commission and Plano City Council later in the summer.

The master plan is not being written in a vacuum. Plano City Council approved a $150,000 contract with Freese and Nichols on January 12, 2026, to help develop a Legacy and Granite Park master plan that includes public outreach and analysis. Plano’s planning materials also point to recent state legislative changes, including Senate Bills 840 and 15, which affect planning rules in 19 Collin County cities and have pushed local officials to revisit land-use strategy.

Legacy’s current shape traces back to around 1980, when Ross Perot and his team began work on the area. Legacy Town Center opened in 2002 as Plano’s first major mixed-use center outside historic downtown, adding shopping, restaurants and residential uses near corporate offices. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has described it as a 150-acre mixed-use district where homes, stores, offices, restaurants, lodging and entertainment sit within a 10-minute walk of one another.

The stakes grew again in January 2026, when AT&T announced plans for a new global headquarters campus on 54 acres at 5400 Legacy Drive. Plano leaders said the former EDS headquarters site opened in 1985 and had sat vacant for more than seven years before AT&T’s move was announced. City planners are also using Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 5 for Legacy to steer redevelopment, infrastructure and private investment, with an emphasis on biotechnology, medical uses and life sciences, a sign the city sees Legacy not just as a mature office district but as a future growth engine.