Plano officials confirmed they’ve been in discussions with the Dallas Stars to build a new arena where a suburban shopping mall currently sits.
However, city officials told The Dallas Morning News on Friday that no formal offer has been made to relocate the NHL franchise to The Shops at Willow Bend site yet.
Representatives for the Stars declined to comment on the arena search. Bill Cawley of Cawley Partners, a co-owner of the shopping center, also declined to respond.
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“For the past year, the City has been in earnest discussions with the Dallas Stars regarding a potential arena district at The Shops at Willow Bend,” city spokesperson Amanda McNew said in a statement.
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“The City does not publicly comment on negotiations until a proposal is ready for formal consideration by the Plano City Council. However, because of recent news reports referencing a formal offer to the team, we want to clarify to the Plano Community that no such offer has been made.”
The News first reported in October that the Stars were eyeing Willow Bend as the site for a more than $1 billion arena.
The shopping center at 6121 W. Park Blvd. emerged as the favorite to land the team after discussions with cities including Frisco, The Colony, Arlington and Fort Worth — if the Stars opted to leave Dallas and American Airlines Center.
Plano’s acknowledgment of negotiations but denial of a formal offer comes after Dallas City Council member Chad West said the Collin County suburb presented the team with a letter of intent. The letter was first reported by WFAA-TV (Channel 8).
“I have learned that there is a letter of intent, which is simply an offer on the table for the Stars to move to the Willow Bend mall location in Plano,” West told The News.
“That’s not surprising because it’s been public for several months now that a lot of cities are interested in courting the Stars, knowing that their contact with the AAC is going to end in 2031.”
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The Mavericks and Stars have shared venues since the Stars moved to Dallas from Minneapolis in 1993, previously cohabiting the Reunion Arena. They both moved into American Airlines Center when the venue opened in 2001.
The Mavericks, under the ownership of the Adelson family, are looking to build a new basketball-first arena in Dallas, freeing up the Stars to find a new home when the AAC lease ends in 2031.
The relationship between the two Dallas franchises has deteriorated over the last year, leaving the pair locked in a legal battle over control of the AAC.
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Dallas leaders are still working to keep the team within the city, West said.
“Dallas is actively at the table working with the Stars to understand what they need to make the AAC their home for decades to come,” he said.
Staff writers Lilly Kersh and Lia Assimakopoulos contributed to this report.