Plano mayor outlines 10 major redevelopment projects and says bond will go before voters in May

Plano Mayor John Muns delivered the city’s annual State of the City address on Jan. 28 at the Robinson Fine Arts Center, outlining 10 major redevelopment and development projects he called the “big 10,” summarizing recent public-safety and library investments and announcing that a bond measure to fund a new police headquarters, new fire stations and other major infrastructure projects will be placed before Plano voters in May.

The mayor described Plano as “robust, resilient, and strong,” and said the projects and proposed bond are intended to support public safety, preserve green space and guide redevelopment in a city that is largely built out. “I call it, it’s the big 10,” Muns said in introducing the projects, which aim to convert aging office campuses, redevelop malls and create new mixed‑use centers across the city.

Why it matters: Plano is facing a shift from new‑land growth to redevelopment — the mayor said only about 4% of land remains available for new development — and officials are linking long‑term economic competitiveness and public‑safety performance to investments in facilities and infrastructure that would be funded in part by the May bond measure.

Most significant items and projects described

Public safety and facilities: Muns said the city has invested in police and fire services over the past four years, citing the addition of nine firefighter positions, hiring 27 firefighter‑paramedics to fill vacancies and an upcoming remodel of Fire Station No. 5. He said the police department opened a new substation, added a mental‑health and homeless outreach team, increased patrol first responders by 17 percent, created a special victims unit, added a full‑time recruiter and acquired a…