At its Jan. 12 meeting, Plano City Council approved a $150,000 contract with Freese and Nichols to help with developing a master plan for the Legacy and Granite Park areas, which will include public outreach and evaluating how the area will evolve in the future.
What you need to know
City documents state that as the Legacy area approaches build out, “opportunities for rapid growth through new development have naturally diminished.”
The area has also been impacted by shifts in the office market following the COVID-19 pandemic, which have “altered corporate preferences” toward hybrid or flexible office environments, city documents state.
How we got here
Recently adopted state legislation such as Senate Bill 840, which requires multifamily and mixed-use residential developments to be permitted in all nonresidential zoning districts, could impact future development patterns in the Legacy area.
City documents state the city’s vision has emphasized “reserving land for employment generating uses since the 1980s.”
Planning Director Christina Day said previously the SB 840 will impact nearly 30% of Plano’s land, specifically in areas previously designated for retail, commercial or office use. To see a map of the areas affected by SB 840, click here.
Plano officials also anticipate potential impacts from Senate Bill 2477, which assists with converting nonresidential office buildings into mixed-use multifamily residential.
“While the area has been successfully guided for more than four decades by the city’s Comprehensive Plan, evolving market conditions and changes in the regulatory environment underscore the need for a more focused, area-specific planning effort,” city documents state.
Some context
Plano saw increased activity in corporate office leasing in the first three months of 2025, including several leases in Granite Park and the Liberty Mutual building. Other areas of Plano, including Assembly Park, have also recently attracted new office tenants.
Doug McDonald, Plano’s former director of Economic Development, previously cited the return to in-person work and a slowdown in new office construction as one reason for increased activity in Plano’s corporate office market.
Zooming out
The Legacy area is expected to see several major changes over the next few years, including:
- AT&T’s relocation to a new 54-acre campus at the former Ross Perot Electronic Data Systems campus
- Construction of a $117 million Japanese Miyako Hybrid Hotel
- Potential impacts from the Dallas-based Texas Stock Exchange, dubbed “Y’all Street,” on the city’s corporate landscape
- A 107-acre mixed-use redevelopment of the former JCPenney headquarters, now known as The Park at Legacy
"With surrounding Legacy developments already advancing innovation, the addition of AT&T brings fresh momentum to this iconic area and helps position Legacy for its next generation of success,” Muns said.
Looking ahead
The contract with Freese and Nichols is expected to be completed by April 2027, according to city documents.
