AT&T’s planned $1.35 billion global headquarters in Plano moved closer to construction Monday night after Plano’s Planning & Zoning Commission approved the project’s final site plan.
The September 21 action advances the telecommunications giant’s redevelopment of the former Electronic Data Systems campus near Legacy Drive and Parkwood Boulevard and follows months of zoning, planning and demolition work associated with the project.
Official City of Plano minutes detailing the individual September 21 vote had not yet been posted as of Tuesday morning.
The vote came one day after The Dallas Express reported that commissioners were preparing to consider the final site plan following earlier preliminary approvals for the campus.
Headquarters Moves Closer To Construction
The headquarters development encompasses roughly 54 acres and is expected to consolidate AT&T administrative operations currently spread across Dallas, Plano and Irving.
Plans call for at least 2 million square feet of office, retail and amenity space.
AT&T has said it expects employees to begin partially occupying the Plano campus during the second half of 2028.
The company formally confirmed the relocation in January after months of questions over whether it would remain at Whitacre Tower in downtown Dallas. The Dallas Express reported at the time that the company planned to consolidate administrative operations at the Plano property.
$1.35 Billion Investment; Thousands Of Jobs
The headquarters project is backed by economic development agreements approved by Plano earlier this year.
AT&T committed to at least $1.35 billion in real-property improvements connected to the development.
Plano approved two separate economic development agreements with the company during its February 23 City Council meeting, according to the city’s official meeting record.
One agreement provides an economic development grant, while another involves tax rebates tied to the project.
The company’s employment commitments call for AT&T to transfer, retain or create up to 10,000 full-time job equivalents in Plano over the course of the agreement.
The incentives are performance-based, meaning AT&T must meet specified development and employment benchmarks before receiving the associated benefits.
280-Foot Tower Planned
The headquarters campus is also expected to include a prominent sculptural communications tower near Legacy Drive and Parkwood Boulevard.
Plano City Council approved zoning for the structure in May.
According to the city’s official May 26 meeting record, the structure may reach a maximum height of 280 feet.
Plano Planning Director Christina Day told council members that communications antennas must be fully integrated inside the structure rather than visibly mounted on the exterior.
The design is also required to remain in substantial conformance with the concept presented to the city.
Plano’s earlier May 4 Planning & Zoning Commission meeting likewise described the proposed tower as a sculptural structure reaching up to 280 feet with stealth communications equipment enclosed inside.
The tower and adjoining plaza are expected to serve as one of the most distinctive visual elements of the new campus.
Former EDS Headquarters Already Demolished
The physical transformation of the property became unmistakable last month when crews demolished the former EDS headquarters building in a controlled implosion.
The Dallas Express reported that the August 9 demolition created a large dust cloud and a boom that residents reported hearing or feeling miles from the Plano property.
The demolition cleared a major portion of the former EDS campus for redevelopment.
EDS, founded by Texas businessman Ross Perot, helped establish Plano’s Legacy corridor as a destination for major corporate campuses decades before the area became one of North Texas’ most prominent business centers.
AT&T is now preparing to put its own mark on the property.
The Dallas Express Tracked AT&T Move Before Confirmation
The Dallas Express began following questions about AT&T’s downtown future months before the company publicly confirmed the Plano relocation.
DX reported in 2025 that AT&T would not affirm that it intended to remain at its longtime downtown Dallas headquarters as questions mounted about the company’s real-estate plans.
The uncertainty ended in January when AT&T officially announced the move to Plano.
Emails later obtained by The Dallas Express showed CEO John Stankey had previously raised concerns about crime and governance with Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert.
DX reported that the correspondence established that those concerns were discussed before the relocation announcement, although the records did not establish crime or governance as the determining reason for AT&T’s decision.
Monday night’s final site-plan approval now moves the $1.35 billion Plano headquarters another step toward construction and AT&T’s planned 2028 partial occupancy.
Provided by Dallas Express
