Residents gather during a community open house events regarding the Dallas Stars arena project at the Shops at Willow Bend mall, on Wednesday, July 8, 2026 in Plano.
Shafkat Anowar/The Dallas Morning News
PLANO – Can a 20,000-seat arena be a good neighbor?
That was the issue at the center of an open house Wednesday at The Shops at Willow Bend, where city officials, the Dallas Stars president and real estate developers met with about 250 nearby residents.
It was the first of two community meetings meant to ease concerns about traffic, noise and lighting from the planned hockey arena and to get feedback from Plano taxpayers.
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Some residents have questioned whether the $3 billion mixed-use district and its arena, supported by $700 million in public funds, can fit harmoniously in the suburban area near the Dallas North Tollway.
Steve Bratton lives less than two miles from the mall and opposes the arena project, saying it does not fit with the suburban area he chose to call home. The mall’s area of West Plano is largely made up of affluent residential neighborhoods.
Michael Platt, (right), Executive Vice President of Mixed-Use Development at Centennial Real Estate discusses about the renderings with residents during a community open house events regarding the Dallas Stars arena project at the Shops at Willow Bend mall, on Wednesday, July 8, 2026 in Plano.
Shafkat Anowar/The Dallas Morning News
“It’s such a unique opportunity for the Stars,” he said, “but I don’t see the value for Plano.”
Dallas Stars CEO Brad Alberts met with residents at the mall and said the team communicates with Plano officials nearly every day to make the project a reality.
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He said he hears neighbors’ worries as plans move forward.
“Their concerns are our concerns,” he said. “We don’t want their neighborhoods to be full of congestion and traffic either. … Our goal will be to improve the fan experience and make it better than it exists today.”
Plans for traffic, light and noise
Between the Equinox gym and Crate & Barrel, residents formed a line to walk through presentations given by city staff on transportation, parking, lighting, noise and neighborhood character.
Plano transportation manager Brian Shewski said the city will begin studying traffic in the area after the school year starts to identify roads and intersections that could reach capacity and determine what improvements may be needed.
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Related: What to know about Plano’s Shops at Willow Bend, Dallas Stars’ planned new arena site
Those could include adding lanes, upgrading traffic signals, creating designated rideshare areas, improving roads and expanding pedestrian infrastructure.
Over the next five years, the city will work to design and implement the changes, with a goal of getting traffic out of the arena in 45 to 50 minutes after events.
The city has hired California-based consulting firm Fehr & Peers to conduct the traffic study. The firm has worked on the Los Angeles Clippers’ Intuit Dome and the Golden State Warriors’ Chase Center.
Josh Peterman, a principal with the firm who lives in Plano, spoke with residents Wednesday.
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Residents gather during a community open house events regarding the Dallas Stars arena project at the Shops at Willow Bend mall, on Wednesday, July 8, 2026 in Plano.
Shafkat Anowar/The Dallas Morning News
“Every single arena gets plopped down in a place that has some sort of impact to the business or to a resident,” he said. “We study it to see what the actual impacts are likely to be so that we can be prepared.”
His firm will produce a report with recommendations for minimizing traffic issues.
“There’s a whole host of levers we can pull,” he said. “Then it’s up to the city and the council to act on those.”
Some residents were not encouraged by the city’s plans.
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“Already, the toll road is very busy,” Bratton said, “and now we want to build a huge sports and entertainment venue right along there, where the bottleneck already exists.”
He believes surrounding neighborhoods will suffer.
Related: How Plano scored the Dallas Stars: The NDAs, $700 million and ‘wolf’ behind the deal
Plano officials will study how much parking is needed by comparing the project to similar-sized arenas and will seek to prevent eventgoers from parking in nearby neighborhoods.
Neighborhoods also can petition the city to restrict street parking, according to the city.
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Plano has local rules on how much light and noise can spill onto residential properties. Officials will study those impacts and enforce regulations, staff said.
Mixed emotions
Hundreds of residents came to the open house and greeted the plans with concerns and excitement. The city offered a survey to gather feedback on the presentations.
“An arena would be a real bonus to Plano,” said Sandra Hammer of Plano, who said she’ll consider buying season tickets. “Frisco has got their share of fun stuff going on up there. … We need that here.”
Residents wait to enter a community open house events regarding the Dallas Stars arena project at the Shops at Willow Bend mall, on Wednesday, July 8, 2026 in Plano.
Shafkat Anowar/The Dallas Morning News
Jim McDevitt, a three-decade resident who lives about a mile and a half from the mall, is excited about the project, which he hopes revitalizes the area after years of little progress in redeveloping the ailing shopping mall.
“Will there be problems initially? Sure,” he said. “But I think they’ll be mitigated as they learn more.”
For the mall’s tenants, the transition has been difficult.
Mary Manning, who owns a salon in Willow Bend, said the months leading up to the Stars’ announcement were filled with uncertainty and anxiety for small businesses at Willow Bend.
“We’re excited for the Stars,” she said. “But the transition I feel like has been super unprofessional.”
Related: ‘Unbelievable’: Plano residents react to Dallas Stars choosing Willow Bend for new arena
She said she first learned about plans for the arena through social media.
But the team’s move is hard for her for other reasons.
“As a Dallas fan, I find it hard to see a Dallas team leave Dallas again,” Manning said. “We’re a super lucrative hub, and a lot of people are in transit right here, so all of the technical makes total sense. Just for me, personally, it’s just hard to be excited for it.”
Chris and Rocky Rainbolt, who raised their family in a neighborhood near the mall, said the proposed arena is too close to homes and will bring traffic, noise and other concerns.
The Neiman Marcus is seen with empty spots in the parking garage at The Shops at Willow Bend on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, in Plano.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
“I’m a big hockey fan, I enjoy going to games, but I don’t like what I think it’s going to do to my neighborhood,” Rocky Rainbolt said.
He believes most of Plano supports the project except for those who live near the arena.
“We can’t fight the battle,” he said. “It’s going to happen.”
Plano council member Rick Horne said the open house allowed officials to receive input and know what questions residents have that the city still needs to answer.
“Anytime we get some feedback from the citizens, we’re able to make smarter decisions,” Horne said. “This is just the first step.”
The city will host another community open house at 6 p.m. July 14 at The Shops , and offer a self-guided virtual option through July 22.
Email tips on all things Collin County to lilly.kersh@dallasnews.com.