Legacy Central is a massive, 84-acre complex off highway 75 in Plano, currently set up for offices but ultimately planned as a mixed-use development replete with hotel, retail, and luxury housing. Just two years old now, construction continues despite COVID-related setbacks, and it seems that the mixed-use concept may be The Way Of The Future in the post-pandemic, Work From Home era.
On The Shoulders Of A Giant
The property on which Legacy Central is situated was, for decades before, known as the Spring Creek campus of early tech giant Texas Instruments. (1) Built in 1984, it had served as the company’s IT and software base and had employed over 700 locals. However, by 2015, TI found that they simply no longer needed the space, and so the staffers were transferred to Dallas and Richardson locations, and the facility was put on the market. (2) The next year, California-based Regent Properties made a $120 million dollar investment to overhaul the space, having similarly secured millions in capital from interested backers. (3)
Here’s a PDF of the TI Spring Creek campus as of 2009
Dallas-based architectural firm BOKA Powell were brought in to transform the existing five TI buildings and, in the company’s words, “to open up the formerly secure buildings, adding glass and creating portals that organize the campus to facilitate users’ understanding of circulation throughout. Dynamic workspaces, a fitness facility, and extensive outdoor amenities will elevate this property into a destination for a wide range of tenants.” (4)
Grand-Scale Artwork
To add excitement and color to the admittedly drab buildings that had previously existed on the TI campus, Spanish muralist Adrian Torres was commissioned for multiple expansive projects. His kinetic, expressive style of painting already graced several other locations in Dallas (including the well-known Elephant Mural in Deep Ellum), and his bold, colorful vision has truly had a transformative effect.
The works of Adrian Torres at Legacy Central.
Tenants Today and Tomorrow
Currently, Legacy Central is still an office-only proposition. However, this is not to diminish the success that the realtors at Transwestern (5) have seen in leasing: the site has attracted massive players such as Samsung and workout leaders Peloton, and the coworking visionaries Spaces have set up camp there.
However, the real future of Legacy Central is in providing a complete living experience: housing, retail, lodging, and office space. The idea is that, in theory, you’d have everything you need within walking distance. And, indeed, construction is continuing on the residential development. (6) This is, perhaps, the most interesting component of Legacy Central and others of its kind – they were already situated to be “all-in-one” developments. As COVID-19 has changed the reality of the office world, these places are in fact more malleable and adaptable to The New Normal. The percentage allocated to the uses (residential vs. retail vs. commercial) may now be different, but conceptually, the idea remains sound.
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