AT&T Signs New Lease in Richardson, Plans Workforce Expansion
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Dallas-based AT&T is growing its footprint in the metroplex, signing a new lease to support the planned relocation and expansion of its Richardson call center operations.
As early as this summer, AT&T call center office workers could be moving into their new digs at Lakeside Boulevard Tower, where they’ll have the run of some 186,000 square feet across seven floors. The move itself won’t be that far as the company has its current call center operations just across the street at 2270 Lakeside Blvd.
“We have a strong history in the city and this opportunity strategically aligns with our focus on creating modern workspaces where our employees can thrive, innovate, and deliver solutions that connect people to greater possibility,” said Michael Ford, AT&T’s head of global real estate, according to a news release.
The length of the lease is 12 years, and landlord Provident Realty Advisors is working with city officials to update the tower through a taxpayer-funded building modernization grant and permit fee waivers. For its part, Provident Realty Advisors will be committing $15.8 million to property improvements.
Provident Realty Advisors purchased the 16-story office tower from the real estate firm Newmark last November.
“Attracting long-term tenants like AT&T and modernizing existing office space are central to our three-pronged approach for revitalizing the commercial office sector in the wake of COVID-19, through partnerships with property owners to upgrade amenities, tenant improvement grants to make deals more feasible, and targeted redevelopment of specific office properties to create more vibrant developments,” said Richardson City Manager Don Magner, per the news release.
The office sector has struggled to regain its footing following the embrace of remote and hybrid work arrangements across the United States. Seeing opportunity in the midst of the nation’s housing shortage, developers have taken to converting office space into apartment units.
While it is unclear if they will all be working in Lakeside Boulevard Tower, AT&T also reportedly plans on expanding its workforce in Richardson, adding roughly 1,000 new employees to the 400 or so it already has in the city.
News of AT&T’s Richardson plans comes as the telecommunications giant is purportedly reconsidering whether to maintain its headquarters in downtown Dallas. A crime study commissioned by Downtown Dallas, Inc. claimed a corporate stakeholder said, “AT&T would consider relocating if the public safety issue downtown is not addressed.”
The study estimated that the city center would suffer a 30% decrease in property values and lose out on as much as $2.7 billion if AT&T decided to relocate its headquarters, which are currently based in Whitacre Tower on South Akard Street.
