PLANO, Texas - AT&T is moving forward with plans to build a "mini Reunion Tower" at its new global headquarters in Plano.
What's new:
The Plano City Council approved a zoning change on Tuesday that will allow the company to build the 280-foot tower.
Concept renderings show it looking very similar to Reunion Tower near Downtown Dallas, but it’s about half as tall and features the AT&T logo as the ball.
AT&T needed special zoning approval because it plans to use the tower as a communications antenna.
What they're saying:
"If there’s going to be a company that's going to come in and do something different, who better than a 150-year-old company that is bringing its headquarters here. And even better, they're no longer relying on a building to be iconic. They're using a sculpture. So, I think it’s an extraordinary thing and I think it’s going to add so much to our city, not just to Legacy west and that district right there," said Plano Councilmember Bob Kehr.
The backstory:
In January, AT&T announced it was moving its global headquarters from Downtown Dallas to a 54-acre suburban campus along Legacy Drive in Plano.
Demolition work is already underway to remove the former Electronic Data Systems headquarters in that space. The full demolition could take five to six months.
The company hopes to have some employees on the new campus by late 2028.
AT&T moves headquarters from Dallas to Plano
AT&T announced it will move its global headquarters away from its tower building in Downtown Dallas to a more horizontal campus in Plano.
Dig deeper:
In a letter to employees after the move was announced, AT&T’s CEO said a big reason for the move was that the nature of the company and the work have evolved.
The company also cited a desire to consolidate all three of its North Texas locations. Downtown Dallas crime was not mentioned as a reason for the move.
However, Gov. Greg Abbott blamed Dallas city leaders, arguing that Dallas has a crime problem because the city’s police department isn’t fully funded.
Abbott blames Dallas leaders for AT&T’s move to Plano
Gov. Greg Abbott is placing blame on Dallas leaders for how the police department is run and AT&T’s move to Plano.
Dallas leaders took offense to that statement and pointed out their efforts to both reduce crime and homelessness in the city.
The Source: The information in this story comes from Tuesday's Plano City Council meeting, supporting documents from the meeting agenda, and past news coverage.