What you need to know
The Dallas Area Rapid Transit Silver Line—a $1.8 billion, 26-mile commuter rail that will connect Plano to the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport—is expected to be operational in late 2025 or early 2026.
The rail will have two stops in Plano and the Silver Line Station Areas Plan, which was adopted by council on Jan. 27, provides guidelines on how to develop the surrounding area as a transit-oriented development.
No immediate zoning changes were implemented as a result of the plan, but Plano Comprehensive Planning Manager Drew Brawner said that the plan will serve as an “extension of the comprehensive plan.”
He added that council and staff should consult the plan for the following purposes:
- Evaluate proposed zoning changes and development requests
- Consider needed services, programs and studies
- Analyze and implement infrastructure upgrades or public improvements
The plan recommends a mix of uses surrounding both upcoming stations.
Surrounding the 12th Street station, which will be located just east of the intersection of K Avenue and 12th Street, calls for an “extension of the walkable ‘Main Street’ feel from historic downtown Plano to the 12th Street station,” according to the plan. The plan also denoted the space at the southwest corner of that intersection for higher-density residential and commercial development.
According to the plan, the space west of K Avenue and Municipal Avenue is earmarked for more single-family residential, walkable retail spaces and industrial uses.
The city’s vision for the Douglass Community—a historically Black neighborhood just northwest of the upcoming 12th Street station—was not impacted due to the area’s historical significance, according to the plan.
The plan’s vision for the Shiloh station includes a walkable mixed-use space at the intersection of Shiloh Road and 14th Street, along with space for research and technology developments south of the station to “promote the area as a prominent technology and employment hub in both Plano and the broader region,” according to the plan.
Learn more
The full plan can be found on Plano’s website.
