Plano economic development leaders said the city’s business market is warming, with larger corporate projects, new data centers and manufacturing investments moving ahead.
Doug McDonald, director of economic development, said, “While companies may have had campuses all across the country, there's interest now maybe consolidating in in 1 centralized location, which which puts Plano really in a great position because of our central location and proximity to to DFW Airport.”
That consolidation, speakers said, helps explain why the city is seeing both larger office projects and new sectors such as data centers and manufacturing. “I I think we're starting to see a lot bigger projects,” McDonald said, noting that the pipeline has grown from tens of thousands of square feet to projects in the hundreds of thousands and “even projects that are, you know, the million square feet of projects that are, now in the pipeline for us.”
Why it matters: the city’s placement near a major airport and its workforce reach make Plano attractive to firms consolidating operations or seeking high-capacity sites for data and manufacturing uses. These investments can change tax revenue, traffic patterns and demand for utilities.
Details and examples: McDonald said data center construction is underway in multiple parts of the city, including Granite Park, the southeast quadrant and the RT District, and that the City is planning for the power and water needs those facilities require. He listed recent and upcoming manufacturing projects, including Delta Electronics, which is set to break ground on the former Alcatel campus in central Plano, and a Taiwanese manufacturer (Siscretion) working with the city’s special projects team.
McDonald highlighted specific building and leasing activity: the Granite Park 6 tower is about 70% leased, and Ryan will move into its new building next month. He also described growing demand for light manufacturing and adaptive reuse of older office stock into industrial space near the University of Texas at Dallas.
Officials said the city has stepped up incentives and programs to prepare the market for larger investments and to convert underused office space. “We really have ramped up a lot of the policies, a lot of the programs, to really get our environment in the, the market ready here in Plano to be able to respond,” McDonald said.
What officials cautioned: McDonald and colleagues said uncertainty — primarily from interest rates and broader economic factors — still affects timing; projects are in the pipeline but some activity has been pushed out by about a year.
Looking ahead: City officials said they expect continued diversification of the local economy as large office deals return and as data center and manufacturing uses expand.