Inside the $1.3 Billion Legacy District Project Bringing 10,000 Jobs to West Plano

A site that’s sat empty since 2018 is finally coming back to life — and this time, it’s landing one of the biggest corporate moves in DFW in years. AT&T is building its new global headquarters at 5400 Legacy Drive in Plano’s Legacy District, on the former Electronic Data Systems campus, and the project is big enough that it’s worth understanding if you live anywhere nearby.

What’s Actually Being Built

The new headquarters sits on the northern half of the 54-acre former EDS site, leaving the southern half open for future redevelopment down the road. The project itself includes:

• A $1.3 billion, roughly 2-million-square-foot campus
• A 280-foot AT&T-branded tower topped with a globe-shaped cellular antenna in the company’s signature blue
• Demolition of the old EDS buildings starting in 2026, with partial occupancy targeted for the second half of 2028

It’s a notable reversal for the site: a 2023 plan had envisioned this land as a life-sciences research district, but that plan was dropped in favor of AT&T’s headquarters instead.

The Jobs and Incentives Behind the Project

Plano approved $20 million in economic incentives for the project — the largest package the city has ever offered — split between two $10 million agreements, one tied to the campus redevelopment itself and one tied to job creation. AT&T also secured a 65% property tax rebate running for 25 years.

In exchange, AT&T has real targets to hit: 4,000 employees retained to unlock the first $4 million of the grant, building up to 10,000 employees by the end of 2039. The campus will consolidate AT&T’s three largest Dallas-Fort Worth administrative locations — Central Dallas, Plano, and Irving — into one site, which is also why this reads as AT&T stepping back from its longtime downtown Dallas presence.

What This Means for You

If you own a home in West Plano or the Legacy District, a long-vacant 54-acre site turning into a 10,000-job headquarters is the kind of catalyst that tends to lift surrounding demand over time — more workers nearby generally means more interest in nearby housing, retail, and dining. That said, this plays out over years, not months: partial occupancy isn’t expected until late 2028, and the full 10,000-employee target runs all the way to 2039. This is a long-term shift in the neighborhood’s trajectory, not an overnight one.

Why This Location Matters

The site sits in the heart of the Legacy business park, already surrounded by activity: the Shops at Legacy retail and dining corridor, the JCPenney campus redevelopment, and the original Legacy-area anchor, the Frito-Lay campus. AT&T moving in doesn’t happen in isolation — it’s adding to a district that was already one of Plano’s more active redevelopment corridors.

FAQ

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Where Is AT&T’s New Headquarters Located?

At 5400 Legacy Drive in Plano’s Legacy District, on the northern half of the former 54-acre Electronic Data Systems campus.

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When Will AT&T’s Plano Headquarters Be Finished?

Demolition of the old site begins in 2026, with partial occupancy targeted for the second half of 2028. The full 10,000-employee target extends to the end of 2039.

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Will AT&T’s Move Affect Home Values Near Legacy, Plano?

It’s reasonable to expect it will support demand over time, since major employment centers historically tend to draw more interest to nearby housing — but this unfolds over years, not immediately, given the multi-year construction and hiring timeline.

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If you’re watching the Legacy District for a future move — whether you already own nearby or you’re thinking about getting in ahead of this — we’d love to talk through what we’re seeing in that market right now.