Turns out the rumors were true (and I hate to say I told you so). After months of speculation about where the Dallas Stars would land once their lease at American Airlines Center runs out, the franchise made it official: they want to build a new arena in Plano, and they’ve got the paperwork to prove it.

The organization announced it signed a non-binding Letter of Intent for a proposed sports and entertainment district at the 107-acre Willow Bend site, west of the Dallas North Tollway. The LOI has been submitted to the city of Plano and placed on the agenda for the city council meeting on June 8. Developers Levin Holdings & Cawley Partners and Centennial are involved in the project jointly with the Stars.

If it moves forward, the development would include a new Dallas Stars arena alongside sports, entertainment, retail, dining and public gathering spaces — a year-round destination the team is billing as a community hub for North Texas hockey fans.

“Plano has built a reputation as a city that welcomes world-class partners and community-focused investment,” Mayor John Munns said in an official statement. “The Dallas Stars are an iconic North Texas organization, and we are encouraged by their interest as conversations move forward.”

Thirty-Three Years In North Texas

The Stars have been part of the North Texas sports fabric since arriving in 1993. In the three decades since, the franchise has made 21 playoff appearances, won nine division titles, two Presidents’ Trophies and three conference championships, capped by the 1999 Stanley Cup. Throughout that run, the team has also worked to grow hockey’s footprint in the South through grassroots programs and community involvement.

Dallas Stars Owner, Governor and Chairman Tom Gaglardi didn’t undersell the moment. “This project would present a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our franchise,” he said in an official 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.”

Their current home, American Airlines Center in Dallas, has housed both the Stars and the Mavericks since 2001. That era is drawing to a close for both franchises. On June 1, the Mavericks announced they had entered into an option agreement for the former Valley View Mall site near Preston Road and LBJ Freeway in North Dallas — 104 acres that have sat dormant for years.

The Long, Slow Fall Of Willow Bend

The site the Stars are eyeing has had a rough quarter-century. The 1.4-million-square-foot Shops at Willow Bend opened in 2001 as Texas’ last enclosed mall, positioned as a luxury retail destination for Collin County with anchors like Neiman Marcus, Foley’s, Dillard’s and Lord & Taylor behind a $200 million investment. Then, weeks after opening, September 11 happened, and the economic tailspin that followed set the tone for everything that came after.

Multiple ownership changes and redevelopment attempts couldn’t reverse the slide. A 2014 purchase by Starwood Retail Partners brought a planned $100 million renovation and new restaurants, but by 2020 the company had defaulted on loan payments and stopped investing in the property. Occupancy eventually fell below 70% — roughly the same level as opening day.

Centennial Real Estate acquired the property in 2022 and won city approval for a redevelopment plan called The Bend, which calls for demolishing more than 500,000 square feet of retail space and replacing it with apartments, offices, green space and new retail. The plan originally kept anchor tenants in place, but Macy’s announced its closure in 2024 and Neiman Marcus is set to follow. The latest version of The Bend includes nearly 1,000 apartments, a more walkable layout — and now, potentially, a hockey arena at its center. The future of malls is here, folks.

Two teams, two dead malls, two cities. The AAC era is ending, and North Texas is already deciding what comes next.

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