04/29/2026
Neighbors — a two-minute read on the AT&T tower at Parkwood and Legacy, and how your comment can still shape it.
AT&T is coming to the old EDS campus, and that is a generational win for Legacy. The zoning case, ZC2026-003, comes before Plano P&Z on Monday, May 4, and the PD fine print still has gaps neighbors should weigh in on.
The project itself is a 280-foot sculptural tower (pictured above) at the southeast corner of Parkwood Boulevard and Legacy Drive, with communications antennas built inside the sculpture. The tower is beautiful. What this case is really about is the stipulations that will govern this property for decades, whether or not AT&T is still the occupant.
WHAT THE DRAFT STIPULATIONS DO NOT YET ADDRESS
• Build what was shown. The stipulations require only "substantial conformance" to an unnamed exhibit. They should name the Version 2 rendering above and require City review before any material change to the silhouette or cladding.
• Night-time lighting and glare. Nothing restricts animated, color-changing, or strobing light on a 280-foot structure visible from every bedroom with a sightline, and no glare analysis is required for the reflective cladding. A 10 p.m.–6 a.m. quiet rule for dynamic lighting, plus a standard glare study, are routine asks.
• FAA beacons. At 280 feet, FAA lighting is required. Red beacons and white strobes are both allowed; the draft does not require the less-intrusive red option.
• Construction impact. No vibration monitoring, no pre-construction condition survey of nearby homes, no limits on generator testing or crane-lift hours.
• What happens if AT&T leaves. Zoning runs with the land, not with the tenant. As drafted, the 280-foot antenna permission transfers to every future owner — even if the sculpture is gone.
None of these asks block the project. Every one of them is already standard practice on large North Texas developments.
HOW TO BE HEARD — IT TAKES ABOUT FIVE MINUTES
The City has an official online comment form for this case. Comments submitted through it are included in the packet Commissioners read before they vote:
Plano Zoning Case Response Tool
https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/a4ee878456e446d98a824ba27498fab3
When you open the form, select ZC2026-003 and share, in your own words, which of the items above matter most to your household. Personal, specific comments carry more weight than form letters.
If you'd like to speak at the May 4 P&Z meeting in person, registration opens Friday, May 1 at 5:00 p.m. and closes Monday, May 4 at 4:00 p.m., via the City of Plano Meeting Registration Form on plano.gov.
We welcome AT&T. We just want the PD document to match the renderings — and to protect the neighborhood for the decades after the ribbon is cut.
