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PLANO, Texas – On Monday, Plano city leaders received updates on the status of a planned Dallas Stars arena and entertainment district, while some Plano residents continue to push back on a potential tax to fund it.
Dallas Stars in Plano
The backstory:
In May, the Dallas Stars announced their intent to build a new arena and entertainment district in Plano at the site where the Shops at Willow Bend Mall currently stands.
That same month, Plano City Council approved contributing up to $700 million to help fund the roughly $1 billion Dallas Stars arena project at the Shops at Willow Bend Mall site. The surrounding entertainment district would cost $2 billion, bringing the total cost to $3 billion.
The council unanimously approved a tax increment reinvestment zone near the mall, with tax dollars collected near Willow Bend and the Dallas North Tollway used to back bonds.
In August, Plano City Council approved adding Proposition A to November’s election ballot. If voters approve Prop A, the city could add a venue tax to things like car rentals, hotel rooms, arena parking, tickets, and venues, and would bring in $700 to $900 million in revenue to Plano.
A plan to demolish The Shops at Willow Bend Mall was also approved in June, with demolition plans set to begin in 2027.
Plano City Council meeting
What’s New:
The Willow Bend Redevelopment Advisory Committee, made up of HOA representatives from ten different Plano neighborhoods, presented updates on the plan to demolish the mall and build the new Dallas Stars arena and entertainment district where it currently stands.
The committee says the property value of homes located near Willow Bend could “expect steady percentage appreciation, not a big jump” if the arena and entertainment district are built.
The value would come from the entertainment district, as opposed to the arena itself, and any gains would come several years after completion of the arena and entertainment district, not within the first or second year.
Plano Police Chief Ed Drain says the department will require significantly more resources on game nights, but that the entity putting on the event would pay Plano Police, and not the city.
Traffic is the committee’s top concern when it comes to the potential arena, but concrete data was not presented on Monday.
What they’re saying:
Members of the STOP The Stars Arena PAC, which has been formed by Plano residents who oppose Proposition A, continued to question the planned arena during the meeting’s public comment.
“And we keep asking the city, ‘What about the other costs?’ The costs to the road improvements, to the infrastructure, for drainage, for power, all that. Everything says, ‘Oh, we’re still negotiating that, or we don’t know that yet — we’re still studying that,” David Romick, a Plano resident and member of the STOP The Stars Arena PAC, said.
Plano Mayor John Muns said Proposition A is not a property tax, something Dallas Stars leadership has also repeatedly stated. “I don’t want anybody to be confused that it’s any more than that. That’s what it is.”
“Maybe we weren’t ready for this 20 years ago, but we are today,” Muns tells FOX 4’s David Sentendrey. He also believes Plano has the infrastructure to make the project work. “Absolutely. It’s been a real priority for the City of Plano.”
What’s next:
Plano voters will head to the polls on November 3 to decide whether to approve Proposition A.
Mayor Muns says if Proposition A fails to pass, the city will look at alternative revenue sources to fund the Stars’ arena plans.
The Source: Information in this story comes from a Plano City Council Meeting and previous FOX 4 coverage.
