What happened
At their July 21 meeting, Plano Planning and Zoning Commissioners approved a request to rezone 19 acres at the northeast corner of US 75 and President George Bush Turnpike, where the former Fry’s Electronics building is located.
Commissioners also approved a preliminary site plan for the warehouse, with the condition that the applicant revises the facility’s east and west sides before presenting it to city council.
The previous mixed-use redevelopment plans for the site that were approved by Plano City Council in August 2023 did not move forward, which led to a new proposed redevelopment plan by a different applicant, according to city documents.
The site has remained vacant after Fry’s Electronics closed nationwide in 2021, according to city documents.
Zooming in
The proposed site, located between East Plano Parkway and Executive Drive, would be managed by WareSpace, a company that provides shared workspaces for small- and medium-sized businesses.
The zoning change removes the previous mixed-use rules and allows a new “Commercial Flex Warehouse” designation to fit WareSpace’s plans as it does not align with any currently listed uses allowed in the existing zoning districts.
Plano Deputy City Attorney Michelle D’Andrea said the new use is specifically for this planned development, not for any other planned development zoning designations across the city.
The details
Jason Thorburg, WareSpace vice president of construction, said the Plano location would feature at least 120 individual warehouse spaces, shared common amenities, eight truck docks and a loading zone.
Thorburg said the majority of tenants at other locations use their facilities for small business storage and distribution needs.
“Our goal is to repurpose [the site] and reactivate this portion of the city and ... bring that activity in there to help small businesses,” Thorburg said.
Plano Chief Building Official Selso Mata said the city will require a monthly report of tenants in the facility to help manage tenant safety and ensure zoning regulations.
The request also returned part of the land along President George Bush Turnpike to its original zoning and updated rules to match nearby expressway corridor zoning requirements, according to city documents.
What’s next?
The item will now head to Plano City Council for a public hearing.
