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Plano project developer goes back to the drawing board with Campus at Legacy West

More than 1,000 apartments had been planned in the Campus at Legacy West development.

A developer is going back to the drawing board on plans for one of Plano's largest mixed-use developments.

Real estate investor Sam Ware has been working since last year to redevelop retailer J.C. Penney's old campus in West Plano.

Ware is converting the sprawling headquarters building into space for multiple companies. And his Drien Opportunity Partners wants to add a variety of projects on vacant land surrounding the 1990s buildings.

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But for now, residential construction — more than 1,000 apartments — is off the table for the Campus at Legacy West project.

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The move reflects a trend of suburban communities pushing back against new rental housing at a time when Dallas-Fort Worth faces a severe shortage of homes even as thousands of people are moving here every year — most of them needing apartments.

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Ware's original plan for his Campus at Legacy West included building more than 1,000 apartments, hotel rooms, retail and restaurant space and additional office.

But after pushback from Plano residents and city officials, Ware this week pulled — at least for now — apartments out of the mix.

"The applicant is requesting to withdraw this zoning case from your consideration this evening," Plano city planner Erica Marohnic told the city planning and zoning commission at its latest meeting.

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Ware had previously delayed several times his request to build apartments on part of the 45 acres he owns surrounding the J.C. Penney buildings. The developer already has zoning on the land to build a variety of commercial properties, but no residential.

Major corporations and their workers increasingly want rental housing options in close proximity to their workplaces.

Thousands of apartments are being built in the newest North Texas business districts, including Plano's Legacy West, CityLine in Richardson and the new Legacy Central development on U.S. Highway 75.

Ware has received strong interest from apartment builders for the Campus at Legacy West.

"We have talked to a who's who of apartment developers in the last 18 months," Ware said in a recent interview. "In my opinion, the west side of the tollway in Legacy is underserved with apartments."

He still has the option of coming back to Plano's planners with a new apartment development scheme.

The pullback from seeking apartments at the Campus at Legacy West is the latest in a series of delays Ware has faced recently. Last month, he missed a deadline to buy Dallas' former Parkland Hospital campus northwest of downtown. Ware says he's still working on the deal.

Ware also still hasn't completed his purchase of parts of the old Collin Creek Mall in Plano. He wants to redevelop the regional shopping center on U.S. 75 into another mixed-use project.

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The Campus at Legacy West development is planned with a variety of construction surrounding...
The Campus at Legacy West development is planned with a variety of construction surrounding the old J.C. Penney headquarters.(Drien Opportunity Partners)