Plano Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting - May 4, 2026

The City of Plano Planning and Zoning Commission met on May 4, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. and adjourned at 7:16 p.m. Commissioner Brunoff was absent. All items on the agenda were approved by unanimous 7-0 votes, including a consent agenda, a zoning and site plan package for the former EDS campus, a heritage landmark amendment, a subdivision variance, and a landscape edge reduction.

Consent Calendar

• The consent agenda was acted on in one motion and approved 7-0. No items were pulled for separate consideration.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Applicant for Item 1A-D: Bill Dahlstrom, appearing with KDC, Kimley Horn, and Jackson Walker, spoke in support of the rezoning and site plans. He described the project as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and a fantastic placemaking opportunity for the Legacy Drive and Parkwood Boulevard area. He noted that the office campus and sculpture are already permitted by right and that the request is to allow a stealth commercial antenna inside the 280-foot sculptural tower and to develop the public plaza.
• Jeff Greason, owner at 7241 Parkwood Boulevard since 2006, said he welcomed AT&T to the neighborhood and had four narrow asks about how, not whether, the project proceeds. He requested: (1) residential impact mitigation, including photometric glare and noise studies at upper-floor residential windows; (2) express application of the outdoor lighting code with analysis at upper-floor windows; (3) amendment of the PD illumination provision to match Plano's sign code standard for movement and flashing effects; and (4) PD text naming the globe, shaft, and wishbone base as formal elements that determine a substantive design change. He also noted that a 280-foot telecom support structure normally requires a 535-foot residential setback and that the proposal would be 215 feet closer, and he referenced an AT&T CEO LinkedIn rendering showing the tower illuminated even though the binding exhibit D is non-illuminated.
• No public speakers were registered for Items 2, 3, or 4, and no comments of public interest were made.

Discussion Items

Item 1A-D - PD 73 Commercial Employment, EDS Campus Replat, and Associated Site Plans

• Staff planner John Kim presented the request to rezone the southeast corner of Legacy Drive and Parkwood Boulevard from Commercial Employment to PD 73 Commercial Employment. The package included the associated replat, a preliminary site plan as Item 1B, and revised site plans for Lot 2 as Item 1C and Lot 3 as Item 1D.
• The PD, with associated open space plan OSP 2026-001, would allow a 280-foot sculptural tower with a fully enclosed stealth commercial antenna, a 0.76-acre public plaza, enhanced landscaping, minimum 7-foot walkways, required hike-and-bike trails, and at least three plaza amenities. The antenna could be located at any height within the tower, with ground equipment fully inside the tower, underground, or screened. Normal antenna setbacks would be replaced with higher risk category-three International Building Code construction standards. FAA approval is required for structures above 200 feet, and no flashing, strobing, rotating, or chasing lights would be allowed between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
• Staff noted that the PD is below the typical five-acre minimum but can be approved by City Council if it implements the Comprehensive Plan. Staff reported five total citywide responses to the zoning case; some written responses appeared to relate to a different zoning case, one was removed, and confirmation was still pending on others.
• The preliminary site plan for Item 1B was recommended for approval subject to water and sewer demand mitigation through a City Council-approved development agreement if required and a favorable FAA determination before site plan approval. Items 1C and 1D were revised plats and property-line updates for existing office developments, also recommended for approval.
• Commission discussion focused on the difference between a sculpture and a sign. The city attorney explained the city's practice treats full logos or company lettering as signs, but a stylized image without the full trademark is treated as art. Staff said the planning director and chief building official determined the proposed tower is not a sign. Commissioner Bronsky voiced concern that the blue sphere strongly resembles AT&T's registered logo and said he wished the building official were present to provide more detail.
• The commission also discussed public access. The plaza would be open to the public outside the secured campus, with gates from the campus and a city-built pedestrian bridge over Parkwood Boulevard. The bridge is not part of this approval; the PD language says it may be constructed.

Item 2 - Heritage Landmark Designation Amendment, 15th Street and Pittman Drive

• Planner Destiny Woods presented a request by the City of Plano to amend the Heritage Landmark Designation overlay for the Amy Wilson House and Heritage Farmstead Museum on 3.8 acres. The amendment would modify development standards to allow crushed granite for gated parking areas. A conceptual sign was shown but would require a Certificate of Appropriateness.
• Staff and the Heritage Commission, which recommended approval by a 6-0 vote, supported the request. Two letters of support were received within the 200-foot buffer and six citywide responses were received. The item was approved 7-0.

Item 3 - Subdivision Ordinance Variance, 18th Street West of K Avenue

• Staff requested approval of a variance to reduce the minimum lot frontage along 18th Street from 100 feet to 73 feet for a 0.3-acre lot with an existing 1940s-era building that needs to be platted to obtain a certificate of occupancy.
• Staff found no detriment to public safety, health, or welfare and that the conditions were unique to the property. The variance was approved 7-0, subject to engineering plan additions and alterations as required by the engineering department.

Item 4 - Landscape Edge Reduction, Parker Town Center, K Avenue North of Parker Road

• Staff presented a request for a landscape edge reduction on a 0.5-acre retail site. The required 10-foot landscape edge along K Avenue cannot be fully provided due to an existing retaining wall, fire lane, grading, and hike-and-bike trail easement. The revised plan shows a 7-foot landscape edge plus a 4-foot sidewalk.
• Staff found the reduction is permitted under Section 17-100.F when required for public improvements and that the applicant will still provide the required trees and shrubs. The item was approved 7-0.

Key Outcomes

• Consent agenda approved 7-0.
• Item 1A, the PD 73 Commercial Employment rezoning, approved 7-0.
• Item 1B, the preliminary site plan, approved 7-0 as recommended by staff, with conditions including a favorable FAA determination and potential water and sewer mitigation via a development agreement.
• Item 1C and Item 1D, the revised site plans, each approved 7-0 as recommended by staff.
• Item 2, the Heritage Landmark Designation amendment, approved 7-0.
• Item 3, the subdivision ordinance variance, approved 7-0.
• Item 4, the landscape edge reduction, approved 7-0.
• All motions passed with Commissioner Brunoff absent; no items were denied or deferred.