P
lano ranked 33rd in the country for real estate development over the past 44 years, with several industries experiencing a decline in new projects since the city's redevelopment era began. A recent study by StorageCafe analyzed data from Census records and commercial research firms to rank the nation's 100 largest cities by real estate growth.
Texas cities dominated the top 50 list, with nine Texas cities making the cut, including Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, El Paso, Plano, Arlington, and Irving. The study highlighted key drivers of development in each city, such as Austin's tech boom, Houston's energy sector, and Dallas' financial hub.
Dallas led the pack with 237,000 new apartments permitted since 1980 and 103 million square feet of industrial space built over the past 44 years. Plano's data points included:
* 55,775 single-family permits
* 41,162 multifamily permits
* 4,433,811 square feet of self-storage
* 15,055,453 square feet of industrial space
* 20,755,035 square feet of retail space
* 41,045,870 square feet of office space
The study noted a shift towards urbanization, with growth in multifamily housing and self-storage spaces. Plano's growth in retail construction peaked in the early 2000s before declining, while office space boomed from the 1990s to the 2010s.
Plano is currently undergoing redevelopment, with a plan to utilize undeveloped land along major highways. The city aims to create single-family housing options that meet community needs, multi-use developments with public open spaces, and pedestrian connectivity.
