The Dallas Stars will build a new arena at Willow Bend Mall amid an ongoing legal battle with the Mavericks over the management of the American Airlines Center.
PLANO, Texas — One day after the Dallas Mavericks announced they are leaving the American Airlines Center, the Dallas Stars have announced they’re moving too.
The Stars will head north to Plano, where they plan to build a new arena at the Shops at Willow Bend Mall, WFAA has confirmed.
In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, the team said the new complex is pictured as a year-round destination for the North Texas community while strengthening its connection to the local fan base.
“This project would present a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our franchise,” Dallas Stars Owner, Governor and Chairman Tom Gaglardi said in a statement. “We eagerly await the vote by the Plano City Council and look forward to continuing the conversation to be part of the redevelopment of The Shops at Willow Bend.”
According to a Plano City Council agenda, councilmembers will discuss a non-binding letter of intent between the city and Dallas Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the Dallas Stars. The letter has already been signed by the Stars, the team said.
“We are excited about the Dallas Stars’ interest in a potential future at The Shops at Willow Bend and look forward to conversations about what this could mean for Plano,” Plano City Manager Mark Israelson said in a statement.
According to the letter, the estimated cost of the new complex would be about $1 billion. Much like the new planned home for the Mavs, this would be an entertainment complex along with a new arena and play host to other events aside from Stars games.
“Plano has built a reputation as a city that welcomes world-class partners and community-focused investment,” Plano Mayor John Muns said in a statement. “The Dallas Stars are an iconic North Texas organization, and we are encouraged by their interest as conversations move forward.”
For the past year, the Stars have been engaged in talks with the city of Plano about building an arena on the site of the former mall, which is set to receive its own mixed-use transformation. At the same time, the Stars and Dallas Mavericks have been locked in a legal battle over control of the American Airlines Center – and the city of Dallas has pushed publicly and behind the scenes to keep both professional teams within city limits.
The new arena will likely be located off Park Boulevard and the Tollway in the fast-growing Dallas suburb of Plano, according to previous WFAA reporting.
Developers plan to reimagine Willow Bend Mall as brick-and-mortar malls have struggled, and several major retailers, including Macy’s, Dillard’s and Neiman Marcus, have recently closed their stores at the mall ahead of demolition.
Demolition is scheduled to begin at Willow Bend Mall in the fall, making way for a new mixed-use development called The Bend, the Dallas Business Journal reported.
The developer of The Bend previously told the Dallas Business Journal that the site could house a roughly 20,000-seat Stars arena and entertainment venue.
The conversation with Plano has gone on for months. Plano’s Mayor previously told WFAA in December that it made an offer to the team, hoping to lure them into Collin County.
“It’s a really good offer, but at the same time it protects Plano’s community and what we’re doing right now for everyone and makes sure we protect the resources in Plano,” Plano Mayor John Muns told WFAA’s Inside Texas Politics.
After a Dallas City Council member told WFAA he heard that Plano presented the Stars with a letter of intent, the city later denied that any such offer was made.
The terms of the final deal were not immediately clear. WFAA reached out for more information.
How did we get here?
The Dallas Stars moved their headquarters to Frisco in 2003, and the team’s presence there has recently caused legal drama between the Stars and their roommates at the American Airlines Center – the Dallas Mavericks. The team later established a headquarters in Dallas.
Since 2001, the Stars and Mavericks have shared the city-owned AAC. However, trouble began to brew just a few years later when the Stars moved their headquarters from Dallas to Frisco, prompting the Mavericks to claim that it violated a clause in their agreement to jointly operate the AAC.
That claim later resurfaced in 2024, leading to the current lawsuit between the two teams, which was scheduled to go to a jury trial on May 11, WFAA previously reported. The status of the lawsuit after the Stars announced its move was not immediately clear.
In a lawsuit filed in October 2025 by the Mavericks, the team claims the Stars violated their agreement and, in doing so, made the Mavericks the sole operators of the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks in April dropped one of their claims, filing a non-suit of tortious interference, essentially dropping claims that the Stars are interfering with the Mavericks’ business or contracts.
In a countersuit, the Stars refuted the Mavericks’ claims against the team and said the Mavericks’ lawsuit amounts to an attempted takeover of the American Airlines Center, WFAA reported.
Both teams’ lease at the AAC expires in 2031.
With the Stars officials moving to Plano, all eyes turn to the Mavericks, who are rumored to be considering a move to either the current site of Dallas City Hall in downtown or the Valley View Mall property at the corner of Preston Road and Interstate 635, WFAA reported. The team faces a July deadline to make a final decision.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson released a statement Tuesday night about the state of Downtown Dallas:
“The news this week belies the fact that Dallas continues to thrive. But it also underscores another fundamental fact: Downtown Dallas must change. We must put aside the penny-ante politics, act like the major league city that drives this booming region’s economy, and assert ourselves in this competition with our neighbors.
And make no mistake about it, we are in competition with our neighboring cities for residents, for businesses, and for attractions. That is the generational battle ahead of us. We must fight for the city of tomorrow rather than worship decaying, outdated government buildings from bygone eras.”
Dallas City Manager Kim Tolbert previously told WFAA she wants both teams to stay in Dallas.
“We’re having great discussions,” Tolbert previously said. “We are working alongside of great leaders in both of those organizations who truly understand, you know, Dallas is home we want them to be at home. We want them to continue to be at home and so we’re actively taking care of that business”
In an updated statement on Tuesday, Tolbert said “we have met with the Dallas Stars and learned they have signed a non-binding letter of intent related to a potential arena project in Plano.”
“The Stars have been an important part of our city and community, and we value our longstanding partnership,” Tolbert continued. “We will continue conversations with the organization and work collaboratively to ensure the Stars remain playing in Dallas, where generations of fans have built lasting memories since 1993.”
District 7 Councilmember Adam Bazaldua issued the following statement on the team’s move to Plano:
“While this news is certainly disappointing, I would not characterize it as a setback for Dallas. We have to work with the circumstances before us, and some factors are simply beyond our control.
I know our City Manager worked diligently to keep the Stars in Dallas. Unfortunately, following their split with the Mavericks, the organization apparently did not believe it could sustain the American Airlines Center on its own. As a result, Plano likely presented an opportunity they felt they could not pass up.
What is most disappointing is that Dallas taxpayers supported this franchise for decades. Our residents invested in its success, and many will feel that the loyalty and support they provided was not fully reciprocated. That said, the future challenges and responsibilities associated with this decision now belong to Plano.
It’s also important to remember that no single business, development, or sports franchise defines the fabric of our city. Dallas remains the economic, cultural, and civic center of North Texas. While neighboring cities continue to experience rapid growth, much of that growth has been made possible by the foundation and regional assets that Dallas has built over generations.
There is also some irony in hearing renewed calls to prioritize Downtown Dallas from many of the same voices that spent years championing a regional approach to economic development, an approach that helped create the very dynamics we are now witnessing.
For years, we’ve talked about focusing on the basics and creating a city where Dallas residents can live, work, and thrive. It’s time to turn those words into action. We should focus less on political maneuvering and catering to competing business interests, and more on delivering results for the people who call Dallas home. Our residents deserve to be our first priority, not an afterthought.”
It’s not clear what will become of the American Airlines Center and Victory Plaza when and if both teams move out.
The American Airlines Center first opened on July 17, 2001 after breaking ground on Sept. 1, 1999. According to WFAA archives, Dallas taxpayers chipped in $125 to build the American Airlines Center. And once it opened, developers promised it would pump a half-billion dollars per year into the local economy.
WFAA reached out to the American Airlines Center and the Dallas Sports Commission for comment. American Airlines leadership told WFAA they do not have additional commentary regarding the recent Dallas Stars arena announcement.” Dallas Sports Commission said it did not have further comment.
On Monday, the Mavs announced their plans to leave the AAC as well for a new complex at the site of the old Valley View Mall. With both of the teams moving, the future of the Downtown Dallas arena remains to be seen.
“It’s going to be a very interesting transition. Victory Park is such a lively area, and I think over the next few years it’s going to look very different,” said Rutendo Mavunga, who lives one block from the American Airlines Center.
Another sports fan who lives near the AAC, Tony Alfieri, said he feels like Dallas is losing some appeal as a sports fan with these departures.
“It’s Arlington for Rangers, Arlington for Cowboys, Plano for Stars, and, I guess, Dallas for Mavs still, kind of,” Alfieri said.
Dallas’ loss is Plano’s gain
The Stars’ move northward is just the latest installment of an ongoing trend of companies moving to Plano.
Most recently, AT&T relocated its corporate headquarters from downtown Dallas to Plano, prompting questions about the viability of Dallas’ downtown central business district. Dallas has one of the highest rates of office vacancy in the country, WFAA previously reported.
When AT&T makes the move, the five largest companies in Dallas-Fort Worth will be located in cities other than Dallas.
According to Will Anderson, editor-in-chief of the Dallas Business Journal, there are several reasons developers and businesses might be attracted to a suburb like Plano. He calls it the northward movement of the corporate center of gravity.
“There’s just this low level of friction to building up here,” Anderson said. “There’s more space. Plenty of your workforce would live up here. Houses are being built like crazy.”
Tolbert, Dallas’ City Manager, has maintained that Dallas still has advantages over the suburbs.
“I don’t think either one of those amazing teams want to have to look out their window and their skyline is Applebee’s,” Tolbert said in her state of the city speech. “I said it, I said it.”