(From left) Plano City Manager Mark Israelson, Mayor John Muns, Deputy City Manager Doug McDonald and Economic Development Director Michael Talley pose for a photo at the Plano Municipal Center in Plano, TX, Friday, June 12, 2026.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
Seamless. Professional. Timely. Crystal clear. An “earth-shatteringly good” relationship.
That’s how Brad Alberts, president and CEO of the Dallas Stars, described working with Plano officials on planning a $3 billion arena and mixed-use district at the city’s Shops at Willow Bend mall site, what he called the “biggest project” in the history of Collin County and the NHL franchise.
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Plano leaders unanimously approved a complex slate of agreements Monday, including a $700 million contribution of public funds, to score the city’s first major league sports team.
Plano won out over several cities. Alberts likened the team’s non-binding letter of intent with the city to a marriage proposal, with the wedding planned for the 2031-32 NHL season, when the arena is first planned to welcome fans.
Related: ‘The center of D-FW’: Why the Dallas Stars say they chose Plano for their new home
Plano Mayor John Muns, City Manager Mark Israelson, Deputy City Manager Doug McDonald and Economic Development Director Michael Talley told The Dallas Morning News their side of the love story. Here’s how they pulled it off.
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A sudden proposition
For Plano’s leadership, it all started in late 2024 when developer Bill Cawley “suddenly” approached officials for a meeting about an opportunity for Plano, Israelson said.
Cawley couldn’t yet share what the project was, but said he was partnering with real estate investment firm Centennial. Plano was already “highly engaged” with Centennial on their plans to redevelop the struggling Willow Bend shopping mall into a mixed-use development.
Plano officials took a meeting with Cawley blind. Later, Alberts et al. showed up at City Hall and they were asked about the potential for an arena.
A rendering for the proposed new development for the planned Dallas Stars arena and entertainment complex.
Courtesy of Centennial
“Candidly, to that point, we had never considered that,” Israelson said. “It was something that kind of came to us.”
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The city officials said they’d do their homework and began studying what a project like this would take.
They started exploring land use, transportation and financing considerations. They looked at similar projects across the region, in Arlington and Frisco. They brought on consultants, including Frank Jones from Greenberg Traurig, who has experience on arena and stadium deals, and economist Ray Perryman, founder and CEO of The Perryman Group.
“We didn’t know what we didn’t know yet,” Israelson said.
There’s a small group of experts on what it takes to bring a sports stadium to a city, Talley said, and Plano wanted to learn from them and “know as much as possible.”
The city is very familiar with economic development deals, having brought dozens of companies to Plano over many decades. It’s what Plano is known for. But this deal was “far more complex,” and it took months for officials to put the pieces together and answer — “Is this even possible?” Israelson said.
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The closed Macy’s department store is seen at The Shops at Willow Bend on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, in Plano.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
Everybody involved was under a nondisclosure agreement, officials said. Alberts praised the city’s communication and “unbelievably quick” work, despite the circumstances.
“We never sat on it,” Muns said. “It was constant effort to move things along.”
The dating phase
The Stars spoke to at least eight other cities about relocating, including Frisco, The Colony, Arlington and Fort Worth. But The Shops at Willow Bend site emerged as the favorite.
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Plano officials figured the team would “be shopping everywhere,” McDonald said, but city leaders focused on their own consideration of whether the arena was feasible at 6121 W. Park Blvd. and “the right fit for Plano.”
There were aspects of the Stars’ search that Plano initially did not know about.
Traffic passes on West Park Boulevard near an entrance to the The Shops at Willow Bend on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, in Plano.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
“We had no idea the issues with the basketball team and the Stars,” Muns said, referring to the legal battle between the Stars and Mavericks over control of American Airlines Center. “We never knew.”
It took time to build trust — about a year and a half — Muns said.
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“It was an evolution of them going through some of the issues that they were going through with Dallas, making sure that they felt like we were a trustworthy partner,” Muns said. “But it needed to happen to make all the parties feel comfortable.”
In November, Plano and the Stars entered an exclusive negotiating period. The relationship became official, moving into a “dating phase,” McDonald said. No more seeing other people.
“That also gave our council some comfort,” McDonald said. “The resources we’re spending are not just being thrown out there.”
$700 million piece of the puck
The city is chipping in $700 million toward the project. The city will own the arena, which itself is expected to cost $1 billion. A complex arrangement of developers will own the surrounding property, which is expected to cost another $2 billion.
The $700 million figure came from tapping consultants, analyzing other projects in cities like San Antonio, Oklahoma City and Arlington and discussing with the council, city leaders said.
The city couldn’t afford to build a $1 billion arena on its own but felt that cost was “about the right sort of economic model,” Israelson said, for a “world-class facility.”
An artist rendering of the proposed new Dallas Stars Arena is presented during a meeting conducted for council members to vote on whether to approve key measures in the Dallas Stars’ 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.
Steve Hamm/The Dallas Morning News
“In Plano, we’re the city of excellence, and we want a facility that’s going to be excellent,” he said. “Ultimately, we’re going to own it.”
But the city had its limits, the city manager said, which turned out to be about $700 million.
The city will pay through bonds backed by a 41-year tax increment reinvestment zone. But the team’s initial lease is 30 years — an intentional safeguard, Israelson said.
“We hope we’re their forever home,” he said. “Sports teams can and do move … we may need additional resources and tools to address what happens after 30 years … we’re prepared and thinking about this.”
Considering things like maintenance and potential redevelopment are “mechanisms in place to protect the community’s investment,” Talley said.
Plano City Manager Mark Israelson, right, shares information with Plano Mayor John Muns during a meeting for council members to vote on whether to approve key measures in the Dallas Stars’ 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.
Steve Hamm/The Dallas Morning News
The decision has not been popular among some neighboring residents who fear increased traffic, crime and development. Plano officials have met with neighbors near the mall site and scheduled community input meetings at Willow Bend in July.
Considering those local concerns, mitigating disruptions and gathering input is high on Plano’s to-do list for the project, particularly surrounding transportation improvements to accommodate a sports stadium in an area with many affluent residential neighborhoods.
A tale of two cities
Israelson said it’s the “strong vision and leadership” from the City Council that contribute to Plano’s success — to the mayor’s chagrin, he calls it “Muns magic.”
The staff works hard, with late calls and early mornings, the city manager said, to keep a competitive posture and business mindset. They prioritize building relationships, a professional reputation and incorporating relocating businesses into the community.
“On every deal, small, medium, or large … We want that company or that entity to know how important they are to Plano,” Muns said. “That relationship part of it is really key.”
Plano mayor John Muns answers a question from a media member during a press conference following a meeting for council members to vote on whether to approve key measures in the Dallas Stars’ 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.
Steve Hamm/The Dallas Morning News
Plano’s focus, the mayor said, is getting the basics right — safety, security, quality education and a qualified workforce — that make an attractive community for businesses to consider in the first place.
Alberts came knocking as the city was working to bring AT&T’s headquarters to Plano, so officials were juggling two enormous projects at once. Both were scooped from downtown Dallas.
After the Stars’ announcement, which followed the Mavericks also announcing a move to Valley View, Dallas leaders decried the blow to the city’s center, and Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said “knives are out” as competition in the suburbs grows.
“I wasn’t crying wolf. We are in a very serious competition,” he said. “The wolf is not in this room, the wolf is up the tollway.”
Plano officials said they are focused on their own projects, and hope to see neighboring cities thrive — “we’re going to run our own race,” Israelson said.
Plano Mayor John Muns poses for a photo at the Plano Municipal Center in Plano, TX, Friday, June 12, 2026.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
Talley said he wants to see neighbors win and a successful region.
“A rising tide lifts all boats,” he said. “People know Dallas before they know all the other communities in D-FW.”
Plano leaders emphasized the Stars approached Plano for the project.
“We don’t politicize these kinds of things,” Muns said. “We get to work.”
The work begins for Plano
After a growth spurt in the ‘80s and ‘90s, Plano’s focus has shifted to redeveloping properties now that the city is almost entirely built out.
“Twenty years ago, Plano wouldn’t have been ready,” Muns said. “Today we are, because we have focused on the important things,” like improving residents’ quality of life.
Plano officials hardly have a celebratory attitude toward the project, although they acknowledged it as a once-in-a-lifetime, career-defining deal.
“There’s a lot of work to do … to make sure it’s done right,” Israelson said. “While a lot of folks look at it and say these are great things, I look at and see all the work that needs to get done.”
Traffic is seen on the Dallas North Tollway looking south from West Park Boulevard toward the Bush Turnpike on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, in Plano.
Smiley N. Pool/Staff Photographer
Things like traffic analysis, infrastructure improvements and a master agreement with the team. Israelson wants it to be a community asset for generations to come — a “canvas to start with,” McDonald said, not “the emptiness of vacant centers.”
It’s overwhelming, Muns said. “We really never thought that this opportunity would happen.”
When given the choice to “be aggressive and go after” big projects or walk away and take the easy route, Plano chose the former, McDonald said.
“This is just the very beginning,” McDonald said. “Maybe we can celebrate when the puck drops in ‘31, but honestly, I think we all will celebrate once the last car leaves the very first game.”
Email tips on all things Collin County to lilly.kersh@dallasnews.com.