Residents moving into a new Plano address have some high-powered neighbors.
Liberty Mutual Insurance is on one side, and JPMorgan Chase is right next door. Toyota’s headquarters is just down the street.
Windrose Tower is the first high-rise condominium in Collin County, and it’s smack in the middle of the $3 billion Legacy West Development.
After more than two years of construction, the first residents are moving into the sleek high-rise on Headquarters Drive just west of the Dallas North Tollway.
“Out of 98 units we have 12 that have moved in and we are right at 63 contracts for units,” said developer Jim Duggan. “For having just opened, we are pleased.”
GDA Architects was architect for the project, and Looney & Associates did the interior designs.
Manhattan Construction was the general contractor.
With prices starting near $1 million, the residential project has attracted mostly mature residents looking for a change in lifestyle. “Our average resident is 55 and older,” Duggan said. “Even though they are downsizing, they don’t want something too small.”
The condos average more than 2,700 square feet and range from the smallest — a 1,150-square-foot unit with one bedroom — to half-floor apartments that sell for more than $4 million.
“The half-floor unit has three balconies with three fireplaces,” Duggan said. “We have just five one-bedroom units, and they sold right away.”
Lael Melville and her husband, Randy, were among the first owners to move into the tower. They traded a 5,000-square-foot home in Plano for about 3,000 square feet of space in Windrose Tower.
Randy recently retired from Plano’s Frito-Lay, and the Melvilles were living in a house in the Willow Bend neighborhood.
“We were looking to downsize into a home that would be easier with less square footage and be able to remain in the community we like,” Lael said.
She said having the shops and restaurants of Legacy West Urban Village right across the street is a big plus. “My personal goal is to eat at every one of them.”
Windrose Tower general manager Duane Bates said the condominiums have attracted both nearby residents and out-of-towners. “They are coming from Plano and Frisco and even one from Hong Kong,” Bates said. “One of the owners grew up in Brooklyn and is 85.
“He likes to be able to walk out the front door to the shops and restaurants.”
There’s plenty to do in the building, too.
The almost 1-acre amenity deck on the fourth floor has a swimming pool, a hot tub, an outdoor lounge and dining area, and even a putting green.
Inside you’ll find a fitness center, a conference room, a pub-style game room and a lounge with doors open onto the terrace.
“If you want to reserve this for a special event, you can do it,” Duggan said. “We have one of our residents planning it for a wedding.”
Duggan said the building is about 95% finished, with work still underway on the top four floors and a few details to go, such as hanging artwork.
“These should be done within 60 days,” he said. “It’s like building 98 custom homes in 27 months.
“We are almost there.”
