Plano City Council approved zoning for a 107-acre mixed-used development proposed by Capital Commercial Investments at the property during its Nov. 11 meeting.
“We are looking at an iconic facility—as you drive east on Legacy from [SH 121], one of the first buildings you see is the JCPenney headquarters,” council member Rick Horne said. “Due to the economics, JCPenney left, and we were stuck with a building that needed a lot of love and care. What's being proposed right now addresses a lot of those needs.”
What you need to know
The plan for revitalization of the former JCPenney headquarters, which is now known as The Park at Legacy, includes the following:
- Renovation of the existing office and garage buildings
- Up to 750 mid-rise residential units
- 4 new office towers
- 4 restaurants
- 1 hotel
- 1 mixed-use building
- 21 acres of open space
Andrew Lodeesen, Capital Commercial Investments executive vice president of development, said that luxury residential is the “last remaining amenity for the activation of the site.”
“We need this quality of product to remain competitive with our neighboring cities,” he said. “We have listened to the business community, and we’ve seen the competition succeed by offering the mixed-use environment.”
The residential development will be broken into two phases: the first with up to 365 residential units and open spaces, including two dog parks, 1.5 miles of trail and sidewalk and a courtyard space. The second phase includes 385 residential units, at least 4 acres with a water feature and a further 1.5 miles of trails, including those around the water feature.
The background
Capital Commercial Investments acquired JCPenney headquarters in 2021 with plans “to make the Park at Legacy a best-in-class continuation of Legacy West,” Lodessen said.
Since purchasing the property, the company has spent $30 million on site improvements and moved JCPenney back into their former headquarters, he added.
“We bought this site, we’ve fixed it and we’re looking for the collaboration to continue the high quality activation of it,” Lodessen said.
What else
A new city park is also set for the area.
Council also accepted a $15 million donation from Toyota during the Nov. 11 meeting, which is set to fund a land purchase from Capital Commercial Investments. The full purchase for the future parkland is $19 million and the additional $4 million will be paid for by the city of Plano.
The 5.13-acre park will be across the street from Toyota’s headquarters in Legacy business park.
The proposed name of the park is Mendomi Park, according to a news release from the city. Mendomi is a Japanese term that means “taking care of workers like they are family,” the release states.
What they’re saying
Zoning for the project passed in a 5-2 vote, with Council members Anthony Ricciardelli and Shelby Williams voting against approval. Mayor Pro Tem Maria Tu was not present at the Nov. 11 meeting.
Ricciardelli expressed concerns that the project is not in line with the city’s comprehensive plan.
“If we're looking at wholesale changes to our philosophy for this area, then I think we need to look at an area plan and not make those sort of ad hoc in one zoning case,” he said. “To me, this feels like a decision that could set a precedent, and potentially open the door to changing the whole business park without an area plan process that engages all of the stakeholders.”
Williams also expressed concern over the inclusion of apartments on the property.
“Multifamily may be attractive to the people living in it, but I don't think it would be a boon to the value proposition we created in that corporate park,” he said.
Council member Kayci Prince said that the plan was “a good compromise,” balancing the comprehensive plan and what development would be viable in the space.
“I don't want us to be in a position where we're gonna be so stringent about office space that we're going to build more office buildings that are going to sit empty,” she said. “I think this is a good compromise. I don't think we should be so stringent with our comprehensive plan that we put ourselves in a corner where we're not open to what the market is telling us will be successful.”
