AT&T has confirmed plans to relocate its global headquarters operations from downtown Dallas to Plano, ending months of uncertainty after repeatedly declining to reaffirm its long-term commitment to its downtown footprint.
AT&T Chief Executive Officer John Stankey informed employees that the company will develop a new campus at 5400 Legacy Drive in Plano, with partial occupancy targeted for the second half of 2028. The move will consolidate administrative operations currently spread across Dallas, Plano, and Irving.
City officials have characterized the decision as a matter of corporate preference rather than a rejection of downtown Dallas, emphasizing AT&T’s desire for a “horizontal,” campus-style environment.
However, the announcement follows years of documented warnings about public safety, homelessness, and quality-of-life conditions downtown — concerns that surfaced repeatedly in polling, independent studies, employee comments, and sustained local reporting well before the move became official.
The Warning Signs
Polling beginning in 2022 showed residents across party lines viewed homelessness, vagrancy, and panhandling as serious problems, with results also showing strong dissatisfaction with city leadership’s handling of the issue.
Subsequent DX polling and survey coverage in 2023 found crime, cleanliness, and homelessness ranked among voters’ top priorities, while more residents said the city was headed in the wrong direction than the right one.
By 2024 and 2025, those concerns had increasingly centered on downtown Dallas, where violent crime, open-air drug use, and encampments had become persistent features of the urban core.
Independent Report Warned Crime And Homelessness Could Drive Corporate Flight
The report commissioned by Downtown Dallas Inc. and prepared by Boston Consulting Group warned that deteriorating public safety and disorder downtown posed a direct risk to retaining major employers.
The analysis found violent crime in downtown Dallas surged 42% between 2019 and 2023 and explicitly cautioned that a major employer such as AT&T “would consider relocating if public safety downtown is not addressed.”
The report estimated that an AT&T departure could reduce downtown property values by roughly 30%, erasing billions in value and tens of millions in property tax revenue annually.
That warning remained unresolved as AT&T declined to answer questions about its long-term plans.
Employee Comments Surfaced Months Before Confirmation
In April 2025, an AT&T employee publicly stated that downtown crime had already altered daily work routines, including avoiding leaving the office for lunch due to safety concerns, months before the company confirmed plans to relocate.
Those comments aligned with broader DX reporting, tying copper theft, service outages, and homeless encampments to public safety risks in downtown Dallas.
At the time, AT&T declined to respond to repeated questions from The Dallas Express about whether it intended to reaffirm its long-term commitment to downtown Dallas, referring to reports as “rumors and speculation.”
As questions mounted and AT&T continued to decline comment, subsequent reporting by the Dallas Business Journal confirmed that AT&T executives had toured suburban office campuses in Plano, based on interviews with commercial real estate professionals — reinforcing concerns that the company was actively evaluating alternatives to its downtown headquarters.
AT&T Declined To Reaffirm Its Commitment As Suburban Tours Continued
Throughout 2025, DX repeatedly asked AT&T to clarify whether it intended to remain downtown beyond its Whitacre Tower lease, which runs through 2030.
The company consistently declined, telling DX it does not comment on “rumors and speculation,” even as multiple suburban site tours were documented.
DX later reported that AT&T’s silence mirrored its 2008 departure from San Antonio, where city leaders were similarly caught off guard by a sudden headquarters move.
As recently as December 2025, AT&T declined to acknowledge DX’s latest inquiry about whether it had made a determination regarding its downtown headquarters, prompting DX to file Texas Public Information Act requests seeking clarity on communications between City Hall and the company.
City Leaders Frame Move As Preference
Following AT&T’s confirmation, Dallas officials emphasized that the decision reflected the company’s desire for a campus-style environment rather than dissatisfaction with the city. City leaders said discussions with AT&T are ongoing and described the transition as gradual.
That framing, however, contrasts with the earlier BCG/DDI warning and the record of unresolved downtown issues documented over several years, including crime, homelessness, police staffing shortfalls, and delayed enforcement.
By late 2024, Dallas voters had approved the Dallas HERO charter amendments mandating increased police staffing and enforcement accountability, with advocates warning that failure to act would have economic consequences.
Despite those reforms, the city has yet to meet the 4,000-officer minimum required under Proposition U.
What Comes Next
AT&T’s downtown footprint includes Whitacre Tower and its $100 million investment in the Discovery District, both of which now face an uncertain future. The company employs thousands of workers tied to its headquarters operations, making its departure both symbolic and economically significant.
While city officials stress continued engagement with AT&T, the move represents the most concrete corporate consequence yet of conditions DX has been reporting on for years.
The Dallas Express will continue tracking:
The future of AT&T’s downtown properties
Police staffing and enforcement benchmarks
Downtown crime and homelessness trends
Whether voter-mandated public safety reforms are fully implemented
What city leaders now describe as a matter of preference follows a long record of warnings, documentation, and missed opportunities that preceded AT&T’s decision.