Dallas-based Skybox Datacenters has begun construction of its latest project, a 150,000-square-foot, purpose-built data center in Plano’s Legacy submarket. The 20 megawatt facility at 6800 Communications Parkway will sit near the burgeoning Legacy West development at State Highway 121 and the Dallas North Tollway. It’s scheduled to be ready for occupancy this fall.
Designed by Corgan, Skybox Legacy One will be built to LEED Silver specifications and feature a six-inch concrete roof deck that can withstand winds of up to 190 mph. Power will be delivered from two separate dual-fed substations.
The 21-acre site can support an expansion of up to 350,000 total square feet in one contiguous building. The first phase will qualify for Texas data center sales tax abatements, assuming 10-year capital expense requirements are met.
Mayor Harry LaRosiliere said blistering job growth in Plano continues to attract developers. “The recent announcements of major corporate arrivals like Toyota, Liberty Mutual, FedEx Office, Fannie Mae, JP Morgan Chase, and expansions of Pizza Hut, Capital One, and Nokia will bring over 18,000 jobs in the next few years,” he said. “This has a multiplier effect and has attracted a major data center provider like SkyBox to Plano’s Legacy Business Park.”
Skybox focuses on purpose-built facilities and operates exclusively in the wholesale market, handling both speculative and build-to-suit projects. A joint venture between Rugen Street Capital and Bandera Ventures, it’s led by managing partners Rob Morris, who previously was U.S. practice leader for Cassidy Turley’s data center solutions group, and Bandera Ventures executive Tom Leiser.
“North Texas is one of the fastest-growing and most compelling data center markets in the world,” Morris said. “Our large technology labor force, low cost of construction, historically low cost of power, and aggressive state sales tax incentives for large cloud and enterprise users is a unique value proposition that is hard to argue with.”
