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Plano Mayor John Muns, left, and Plano City Manager Mark Israelson listen to comments from Place 5 City Councilman Steve Lavine as Plano City Council held a meeting for council members to vote on whether to approve key measures in the Dallas Stars\u2019 proposed new arena at the Shops at Willow Bend. The meeting was conducted at the Senator Florence Shapiro Council Chambers, 1520 K Avenue in Plano, on June 8, 2026.<\/p>\n
Steve Hamm\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Plano will hold a special election this fall to allow voters to decide if they want new taxes to help fund the\u00a0$1 billion Dallas Stars arena<\/a> project proposed for The Shops at Willow Bend site as the hockey team plans\u00a0a move\u00a0up the tollway<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Plano City Council voted unanimously Monday night to call the November election, which will ask voters to consider several potential taxes meant to collect money from visitors and event attendees.\u00a0<\/p>\n If approved, the taxes could make it more expensive to rent a car and stay in a hotel in Plano, or add fees to parking and to the cost of attending an event at the proposed arena. It could also allow the city to tax sports teams who play there.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The NHL franchise announced in June it had signed a nonbinding letter of intent to build an arena and entertainment district at ailing shopping mall\u2019s site in Plano. City officials then agreed to pitch in public funds for the project, including pursuing the fall election to add taxes.<\/p>\n A resident follow a rendering 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.<\/p>\n Shafkat Anowar\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Neighbors have\u00a0spoken out against the project<\/a>, concerned that the residential area around the mall is unfit for an arena and welcome fans on already crowded roads. Judith Walsh lives nearby and asked the council to pause the election efforts until the city can commit to \u201cbinding, enforceable neighborhood protection measures\u201d like parking enforcement and traffic abatement.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOur West Plano community is deeply concerned,\u201d she said. \u201cMany residents chose Plano specifically for its quiet residential streets \u2026 This scale of development is fundamentally inconsistent with the surrounding residential neighborhoods.\u201d<\/p>\n Several other speakers also expressed their opposition to the arena project.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n “We have many opportunities to say no in the future,” said council member Bob Kehr before voting to approve the election. “Now is not the time … to do that.” He said the city would host more town halls and conduct more studies on the project’s potential impacts.<\/p>\n The city will own the proposed arena, which would also host community events like school graduations and youth sports initiatives. The Stars\u2019 project includes plans for a $2 billion mixed-use entertainment district surrounding the venue.\u00a0<\/p>\n Related:<\/strong> Can the Dallas Stars’ planned arena be a good neighbor? Plano residents weigh in<\/a><\/p>\n The Nov. 3 election will ask voters to consider authorizing:\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n If the tax election is not approved, the city can still go forward with the project, officials said. The council would still need to determine which taxes to enact and for which amounts\u00a0within the set limits, if voters authorize them.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Shafkat Anowar\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n The tax election is one of several funding tools the city is pursuing to help establish the Stars\u2019 new arena at the Shops at Willow Bend mall site off the Dallas North Tollway, where nearby residents have voiced concerns over the project\u2019s potential traffic, noise and lighting impacts.\u00a0<\/p>\n In addition to the potential venue-related taxes, the city is using a tax increment refinancing zone, a TIRZ, to contribute $700 million toward<\/a> the $1 billion arena through bonds backed by revenue from the TIRZ.\u00a0<\/p>\n A TIRZ is a commonly used city funding tool that reinvests a portion of new tax revenue generated by redevelopment in the zone back into improvements to the zone.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Plano Independent School District\u2019s board of trustees recently agreed to contribute a projected $250 million to the TIRZ over 18 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n The council also approved a $15 million incentive agreement to help cover the cost of a city visitor\u2019s center at the stadium and demolition at the mall.<\/p>\n Related:<\/strong> How Plano scored the Dallas Stars: The NDAs, $700 million and \u2018wolf\u2019 behind the deal<\/a><\/p>\n The arena plans are moving forward. Earlier this summer, the Plano council approved $320,000 on a preliminary traffic analysis from Fehr & Peers for the proposed redevelopment to evaluate transportation impacts and identify potential strategies to address traffic needs.<\/p>\n The Stars announced Monday that it had selected HNTB as the lead design firm<\/a> for the proposed arena. The Shops at Willow Bend mall is slimming down<\/a>, with some portions transitioning and others remaining open ahead of the planned redevelopment.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The city hosted open houses last month to provide information on potential disruptions from the arena and officials\u2019 plans to mitigate them \u2014 from traffic management strategies to neighborhood preservation programs. Over 600 people came to the open houses and hundreds more submitted feedback on the project.\u00a0<\/p>\n Traffic was respondents\u2019 chief concern \u2014 residents and neighbors said roads are already clogged in the area and worried cut-through traffic and street parking could disrupt neighborhoods near the mall site. Some shared fears that the project will hurt home values and change the area\u2019s quiet suburban character.\u00a0<\/p>\n City Manager Mark Israelson asked the council to consider at its next meeting forming a citizen focus group of residents neighboring the mall to continue seeking feedback. The city will also study potential property value impacts, officials said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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