The first store to open in the Shops of Legacy at Legacy West is the highly anticipated West Elm, a division of Williams-Sonoma Inc.   This retailer has a very community-minded approach to its inventory.  West Elm is known for its home goods, everything from sofas to bedding and vases.

The store comes to Plano with a single goal – expressing a customer’s personal style through organic, handcrafted, sustainably-sourced and Fair Trade Certified Products.  Over 90% of their products are exclusive to the store and designed in house.  The store has a tradition of offering space for local artisans to show their work.  The Plano locations is currently supporting nine Texas-based artisans through the West Elm LOCAL program which embraces local makers but also gives them a showcase for their goods and a way to build their own brand.

Each artist is in charge of his or her own inventory and can dictate what the wish to offer based on what works for the local region. 

So when you find that perfect home, you can head on over to West Elm to buy the perfect decor for you home from local artists that tells a story and supports the local economy.  We McCoys really believe that supporting the local economy with great products for consumers is a win win for everyone.

Here’s a list of the Texas artists that are signed on right now at West Elm:

● Belle & Union Co.: Vintage American kitchen wares and decorative tea towels made by a couple in College Station, TX.

● Boyd’s Farm: Natural, organic bath and body products handmade by U.S. Air Force veteran Katherine Couron in San Antonio, TX.

● Gaston Made: Modern wooden coaster sets in vibrant colors from Dallas, TX.

● Hemlock & Heather: Texas-shaped wall hangings made from 100 percent reclaimed materials in Austin, TX.

● Leah Duncan: Abstract prints inspired by Texas flora made in Austin, TX.

● Lilco Letterpress: Texas-inspired postcards created by a design and letterpress studio in Dallas, TX.

● Little Wooden Penguin: Industrial-chic wooden cheese boards and furniture produced by a husband and wife team in Plano, TX.

● Mesa Blue Jewelry: Delicate jewelry combining textile, metal and geodes handcrafted in Plano, TX.

● Two Daughters Heirlooms: Sign and banner heirlooms made with pride by two wedding planners in Plano, TX.

 

Let’s talk a moment about some of the really impressive features that will grace Legacy West’s ‘Urban Village’.  Here we will see a lot of firsts for Plano, Texas.

This area of the development will cost around $400 Million and is a three and a half block long project that’s being called a ‘city within a city’.

We thought it would be nice to share some of the interesting features you can find when you visit. 

There’s a beautiful fountain, with music which sounds nice and maybe quaint. This happens to be a $4 million fountain that is truly impressive, with a state of the art sound system and water that dances to the music.

It’s not a big surprise to anyone that there will be quite a few restaurants opening this year at Legacy West, after all the thousands of employees, business owners, residents and visitors will all need to eat. But this is no ordinary development so of course the food experience has to extraordinary.

Every restaurant will have a patio and the pavers they’ve installed are just beautiful. If you don’t have time for a relaxed meal you can always check out the food court. This is not your average food court. This food court is three stories high and boasts over 23 restaurants, styled in a way that’s meant to bring a little bit of a European feel to the guest.

The food court, known as Legacy Hall, will feature food offering the freshest, local ingredients and will be prepared by chefs and artisan also local to the area.

Need to park your car? No need to spend an endless amount of time searching for a spot because there is a lighting system that will signal an open parking space.

The overall goal of Legacy West is to be the ultimate urban planned community and to be an integral part of bringing jobs, homes, shopping and entertainment to the already vibrant city of Plano that has seen explosive growth over the last decade.

We McCoys think that that’s a wonderful thing.

Plano, Texas is located just north of Dallas and has been dubbed, ‘The City of the Future’.  That’s no small boast, but just take a look at these stats and you’ll see that this city has many reasons to be proud and has earned its title.

According to the Mayor LaRosiliere’s and the City of Plano’s website (https://www.plano.gov/31/Living-In-Plano), here are the accreditations and accolades so far this year:

• SmartAsset’s ranks Plano the 7th Best City in the USA.
• Plano earns Keep America Beautiful’s President’s Circle Award.
• SmartAsset’s ranks Plano #7 in the Best Cities of 2016.
• WalletHub ranks Plano the Second Best City for Jobs in America.
• Plano has been ranked as one of the “2017 Best Cities for New Grads”.
• Plano Texas makes “Top 10 Best Cities for Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions”.

Now add to those these awards that we found on the website for Legacy West (http://legacywest.com/location/):

• Voted “Best place to live in the Western United States” by CNN Money
• Named “America’s Safest City” Forbes
• 4 STAR Community rating based on prosperity, environmental responsibility and quality of life
• Home to nearly 25,000 new jobs in the last five years. Toyota, JCPenney, FritoLay and FedEx all call Plano home
• Ranked # 2 on list of “Best cities for families” by Livability
• One of the highest high school graduation rates and 10th best public schools in the country
• Ranked in the top ten as best places for first-time home buyers by WalletHub
• Listed as one of three best markets for renters by Apartment List

We McCoys couldn’t be more proud of the city we call home and we invite you to give Plano, Texas a chance and see for yourself why the ‘City of the Future’ can help make your future a very bright one.

Legacy West, one of the one the largest real estate developments in the entire country, is being built ahead of schedule and at a price tag of around $400 million.

Corporate Giants such as Toyota Motor Corporation, Liberty Mutual Insurance, JP Morgan Chase and Feb Ex are all tenants and with them comes a plethora of new jobs to the area.

Toyota Motor Corporation has 2 million-square foot, 100-acre campus set to house its North America headquarters.  Set to open later this year, it will employ over 4,000 workers.

The two-tower office complex on the west side of Dallas North Tollway is the future home of Liberty Mutual Insurance regional office.  At a price tag of $325 million, it estimated to employ around 5000 people.

Located on the southwest corner of the tollway is the 1 million square-foot regional campus of JP Morgan Chase.  The ultimate employee-count for the more than $300 million JP Morgan Chase company is approximately 6,000 employees.

Fed Ex has already opened its international headquarters here with a 265,000-square foot headquarters that employs approximately 1,200 people.

It’s estimated that by next year there will be almost 20,000 people working at Legacy West and we McCoys think that is great news for Plano!

Keep America Beautiful (a non-profit organization for creating beautiful communities) presented the City of Plano with it’s President’s Circle Award Recognition for 2017 again at the Keep America Beautiful National Conference.  This annual conference has over 350 leaders in attendance from the Keep America Beautiful national networks of affiliates, business leaders, policymakers and other experts.

The award is prestigious, but the amount of effort needed to even qualify is astounding.  A city must meet the Keep America Beautiful Standard’s of Merit by administering activities in: 

• ending littering
• improving recycling
• beautifying Plano’s communities

The award honors grassroots organizations and their efforts to providing real solutions that help create socially connected, environmentally healthy and economically sound communities.

There’s even a ‘Community Appearance Index-Litter Index’ a tool used to grade the areas that are qualified for the award.  It takes into account the overall appearance of the area with indicators such as; litter, graffiti, junk vehicles, outside storage and illegal signs.  The area then receives a grade for the index of 1-4.  An area rates ad ‘1’ will have no liter, while an area that rates a ‘4’ is extremely littered.  The affiliates that use this scoring system continually monitor and assess the area at the same time every year in order to calculate its success with ending/improving the problem of littering.

Congratulations to our beautiful city on an award well earned!  Let’s all do our part to make sure that we make Plano the permanent home of this award.

You can even organize your own cleanup here by going to the City of Plano Clean Up Page

We hear it all the time and we believe it’s true; ‘Plano is one of the best places to live in the US’.

Just look at our Police and Fire-Rescue departments.

Plano’s Fire-Rescue Department, under the guidance of Fire Chief Sam Grief, holds two accreditations.

The first is the Commission on Fire Accreditation, International (CFAI) since 2001.  This accreditation has been received by only five cities in Texas and in less than 170 agencies nationwide.

The second is the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services since 1998.  The department is one of only five EMS services in Texas to receive this accreditation and is the ONLY fire-based EMS service to even hold this distinction.

The prestige of these accreditations and the length of time they been bestowed on the department speaks to the resolution of Plano’s Fire and Rescue’s commitment to ensuring its citizens receive some of the finest services in Texas and throughout the United States.

Our Police Department, under Chief Gregory W. Rushin, has also received prestigious accreditations of its own.

The Plano Police Department is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). CALEA is an international organization which was created in 1979 through the combined efforts of four major law enforcement groups:

• International Association of Chiefs of Police
• National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives
• National Sheriff’ Association, and
• Police Executive Research Forum

 

Plano’s police department also receive the Accreditation for Excellence Award in 2012 which designation Plano as an extraordinary example of Law Enforcement.

Taking into consideration the excellent status that both departments have in common, it’s very easy to see two major reasons why Plano, Texas is considered one of the United States, favorite cities in which to live.

To learn more about these departments and to get community news, check out their website:

For Police http://www.plano.gov/214/Police  For Fire and Rescue:  https://www.plano.gov/215/Fire-Rescue

It’s been touted, and with good reason, that Frisco is set to be the mecca for sports in North Texas with the opening of ‘The Star’, a 91-acre campus that hosts the world headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys in Frisco, Texas.

The Star features the Ford Center—a 12,000 seat state-of-the-art indoor football stadium that will host a variety of events, an entertainment district lined with restaurants and shops, the Omni hotel, a medical center and more.

Add a 60,000 square foot gym, 30 meetings spaces and the Dallas Cowboys’ corporate headquarters, this campus offers an experience for fans worldwide to take a look inside the entire operation of the Dallas Cowboys.

VIP Tours of the Star are offered 355 days of the year and promise the ‘ultimate tour experience’. The calendar on the Star’s website is already packed with sports events that range from the 2017 Indoor Track and Field Classic to the return of the Patriot Cup. There’s even a simulcast of the Dallas Opera’s ‘Madame Butterfly’. You can check it out for yourself by clicking here.

This is just the beginning though, as the demand for corporate offices has been so great, there’s already plans for expansion.

The Star is turning out to be just what Frisco needs to be among the greats of sports facilities and we think the answer as to whether it’s North Texas’ new sports mecca is a resounding, ‘Yes’!

The Real McCoys are delighted to announce that Ron McCoy has been selected as part of the 2016-2017 roster for Leadership Plano. This is a continued reflection of their commitment not only to the real estate needs in this town but of their consistent dedication to the prosperity of the community at large.

The roster of community leaders selected for this class includes civic and community-focused, forward-thinking individuals who are committed to the continued growth and improvement of Plano. Leadership Plano has helped to develop the leadership skills of many civic leaders who have served our community through more than three decades of growth and change.

According to Program Director Carole Greisdorf, “Leadership Plano has made a tremendously positive impact on the Plano community and beyond. Its graduates serve in numerous elected positions and on non-profit boards throughout north Texas. This program provides a solid foundation for service.”

Spanning nine months from September through May, the program is designed to increase community awareness and leadership skills. The opening retreat, a two-day orientation weekend beginning September 10 at 7 a.m. at the Plano Chamber, 5400 Independence Pkwy., Ste. 200, Plano, TX 75024, focuses on individual leadership styles and techniques. From October through May, the class spends one day a month examining specific aspects of the community such as education, government, local business and economic development, health and human services, the criminal justice system, the arts and more.

Gaining a broad perspective of the Plano community equips participants to become well-rounded leaders ready to apply their skills in a variety of ways. Leadership Plano provides a foundation for long-term involvement in Plano and assists in launching a supportive community network of colleagues and friends.

You can view the entire announcement here: Leadership Plano Class 34 News Release

The West Village District is a walkable urban village in the Uptown area of Dallas, Texas. West Village is located at the northern edge of Uptown along McKinney Avenue and is bordered by Lemmon Avenue, Cole Avenue, Haskell Drive and Central Expressway. West Village has 88 retail, restaurant and entertainment tenants within 244,000 square feet and contains approximately 700 residential units. This has been the catalyst for the West Village District, which contains approximately 3,600 residential units, an emerging office market (including the Richard’s Group Corporate Headquarters), and an estimated 500,000 square feet of gross leasable space- all within walking distance.
West Village is two miles (1.6 km) north of Downtown Dallas.

The DART Red and Blue light rail lines stop at the Uptown/CityPlace station (located within the West Village District). The McKinney Avenue Transit Authority’s M-line streetcar travels from downtown Dallas to Cityplace Station and loops around the West Village. The Katy Trail, a noted Dallas running and biking corridor, is within a block of the development.

West Village Homes CLICK HERE