AT&T is set to add 190,000 square feet of office space to its Lakeside campus in Richardson, according to a Sept. 17 news release from the city.
The city of Richardson announced an economic development agreement with building owner Provident to support modernization and improvements as part of the planned expansion.
The overview
City Manager Don Magner said officials have been exploring the possibility of expansion since AT&T relocated and expanded its call center office to Richardson’s Lakeside Tower in 2025.
The expanded AT&T campus will include office space in both Lakeside Boulevard buildings, with the company agreeing to a 12-year lease in the newly added space.
Magner said the agreement is part of the city’s larger strategy to attract and retain businesses by creating buildings and locations that people want to work in.
The agreement includes $11.5 million in capital investment from Provident, the building landlord, to support improvements and modernization to the offices. The city of Richardson has also approved a property acquisition and building modernization grant of up to $4 million.
“Richardson is a thriving community within the evolving and continuously growing DFW Metroplex,” said Stuart Fink, executive vice president of real estate investments, in the release. “We want companies and employees alike to also thrive in this technology-focused area, and AT&T, being one of the region’s most prominent and longstanding employers, is an important part of that story.”
A closer look
Magner said the city worked with Provident to modernize the building for AT&T, an example of an ongoing strategy around the city to make existing office buildings more competitive through upgrading amenities and infrastructure.
“When we learned that AT&T was considering the expansion, we got very aggressive working with Provident and put together a deal that allows them to make the kind of investment in the tenant improvements and the [furniture, fixtures and equipment] that AT&T really needed to make this site their choice for expansion,” Magner said.
Building modernization includes creating new amenity opportunities, such as fitness centers and elevated cafeterias, Magner said, as well as structural and functional upgrades. These range from improving the fire protection system to upgrading the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems and improving the core infrastructure of the building.
“What we need to do to make Richardson successful in the future is create buildings and places that the talent companies need to be successful want to be located in,” Magner said. “If we can attract the talent here to Richardson, and create the kind of community that they want to be part of, businesses will see that and want to locate here.”
Taking a step back
Magner highlighted that retention of businesses like AT&T is equally as important as recruiting new business.
“We work hard to sell Richardson to companies and we work hard when they get here to make sure that they feel like their decision was validated and warranted,” Magner said.
Magner noted that since announcing an economic development strategy in 2024, a significant number of companies have relocated to the Galatyn and Lakeside office spaces, including Geico, 1Finity and Continental Electronics.
“We continue to see these announcements to be confirmation that our strategy is working,” Magner said. “Those are big names and a lot of square feet that's been taken down here the last couple of years.”
Looking ahead
Magner said preparations are being made for the first wave of AT&T employees to move into the new space over the next few months. The expansion will be done in phases as the building is upgraded over the next year, he said.
