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Through the 1980s and into the ’90s, Las Colinas
was in the path of DFW’s economic and physical
expansion. Quite simply, it was the “perfect”
corporate location.

LAS COLINAS: LET'S CALL IT LEGACY 1.0 While today’s live, work, shop, North Tollway extended just north
and play environment did not fully of there.
The planning for Las Colinas goes come to fruition in this era, it was
back to the 1970s. At the time, the a start, and at the time, Las Colinas As the 1990s began, companies
Carpenter Ranch was a huge swath was the cutting edge of master like JCPenney, HP, and Dr.
of land between Dallas and the new planned community development. Pepper Snapple moved further
international airport. The timing As new commercial areas continue north to establish large corporate
was right on many fronts to create a to emerge in DFW in response campuses. Land for business
new development area. Our region to our growth and infrastructure and housing development was
was growing fast. The new airport improvements, market forces have plentiful. Combine this with
(call that infrastructure) became the shifted development in Las Colinas DFW’s economic prosperity and
anchor for Dallas’ western edge, to a more suburban character the 1994 extension of the Tollway
and a renaissance was taking place with projects like Cypress Waters. to Headquarters Drive, and you had
in new community development in What is clear, however, is that Las the ingredients necessary to fuel a
places like Mission Viejo and Irvine Colinas remains a solid business development boom that stretched
Ranch in southern California, and residential location and is in the boundaries further north.
Highlands Ranch near Denver, and the path of growth. Today, that
The Woodlands in Houston. growth is taking the form of infill In these early years, commercial
development at higher densities. development was skewed to
While many of these places led with Recently, DART’s rapid rail was large, internal-focused corporate
housing, early master planning introduced to serve the Urban campuses. These employee enclaves
recognized that they were in the Center and run between DFW even had on-site cafeterias to serve
path of growth, saw the value of International Airport and Dallas’ the daily needs of the workers and
urban densities and planned for a urban core. While it will take years limit the need to move off-campus.
variety of significant commercial to see the long-term benefits of Who says Google and Facebook
uses. In 1980, the land holdings for improvements like this, it sets the
Las Colinas totaled 12,000 acres, stage for Las Colinas 2.0. are revolutionizing the employee
and the plans were forged for Las experience?
Colinas and Williams Square – LEGACY: THE CENTER OF THE NORTH DALLAS
Legacy 1.0. WORKFORCE Because of Legacy’s strategic
location near ample housing, good
Through the 1980s and into '90s, The wheels were set in motion schools and strong regional access,
Las Colinas was in the path of decades ago. In hindsight, it is easy multi-tenant office space took off
DFW’s economic and physical to see Dallas’ consistent northward to serve employers who wanted
expansion. Quite simply, it was the growth, but it may not have been the same environment. By the
“perfect” corporate location. It was so obvious back in the day. In the
close to new, high quality housing early 1980s, the Galleria mixed-use 5
and offered a variety of office space development defined the northern
options, including urban densities in suburbs, Then, in 1987, the Dallas
Williams Square, as well as an easy
run to the new airport for traveling
executives.