A “Puck no” sign in the front yard of a Plano residence nearby The Shops at Willow Bend, the proposed new arena site for the Dallas Stars hockey team, pictured in Plano, Texas, Sept. 7, 2026.
Steve Hamm/The Dallas Morning News
Hal Stebbins, like other Plano residents, got an unexpected notification last week.
“Bring the Dallas Stars to Plano on November 3!”
Alongside green words and a rendering of the proposed $1 billion, Dallas Stars-branded arena at the current site of Plano’s Shops at Willow Bend mall, texts encouraged residents to support a tax election that could help fund the project and bring Plano its first major league sports team.
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“Proposition A authorizes the construction of a new city-owned arena that will house world-class hockey and community events,” the text reads. “And the best part? NOTHING is added to what Plano residents already pay in taxes.”
Stebbins and some other residents found the messages misleading and mysterious — the election this November could add certain taxes if approved, fees aimed at visitors on things like hotel rooms and rental cars, to help fund the proposed arena. He did not know who had sent the texts.
In the week after the Victory Green Plano political action committee sent texts and mailers to residents in favor of the arena and November vote, neighbors formed the Stop the Stars Arena PAC to mobilize against the ballot measure.
Related: Plano council calls November tax election to help fund proposed Dallas Stars arena
The debate underscores the competing views of the city’s identity — a suburban community or an entertainment destination — and who should pay for the difference. City officials see the project as a way to keep Plano vibrant. Some residents see it as a departure from the city’s character.
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While the arena project can go forward even if the election fails, the Stop the Stars Arena group wants the city and team to know some residents are unhappy with the plans, with concerns over potential traffic, noise and what Stebbins sees as “corporate welfare” in giving taxpayer money to the project.
“This is the wrong project for this location, and the views of a lot of citizens are not being taken into account,” said Stebbins, who lives near the mall but isn’t involved in the PAC.
“People move here for the schools … they move here for the quiet neighborhoods,” said Plano resident Karen Dubrow, who is helping organize the Stop the Stars Arena PAC. “We love our suburb. We are not in Dallas. We don’t want to be Dallas 2.0.”
A resident views a rendering during a community open house event regarding the proposed Dallas Stars arena project at The Shops at Willow Bend mall, on Wednesday, July 8, 2026 in Plano.
Shafkat Anowar/The Dallas Morning News
Plano residents mobilize
The November proposition wouldn’t set the amount of the taxes and city leaders can choose which to levy — including taxes on parking at the venue, purchasing a ticket and fees on major league sports teams that use the arena, up to $5,000 per game for each team member.
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City leaders said the arena project could add revenue to Plano’s coffers and revitalize the area where the shopping mall never quite succeeded.
“Something of this magnitude is going to take a lot from the city and from the community,” Plano City Manager Mark Israelson said earlier this year. “But what it would give back to the community is also very, very significant.”
The tax election is one of several funding tools the city is pursuing to help establish the Stars’ new arena, including a tax increment refinancing zone to contribute $700 million toward the project and a $15 million incentive agreement.
Related: Can the Dallas Stars’ planned arena be a good neighbor? Plano residents weigh in
After meeting for months, a group of several dozen residents formed the Stop the Stars Arena group and are planning public events. They are filing an ethics complaint, Dubrow said, regarding the materials sent by the pro-arena committee that some residents found misleading.
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“We want to get the truth out to the Plano residents,” said Bri Loftis, the committee’s treasurer and an accountant who has lived in Plano for nearly 20 years.
She is not convinced the project will be a financial success, and is worried what that could mean for her taxes down the road, especially if the project requires more costs for city services. Even the taxes on the ballot in November could pinch residents’ pockets, she said.
She’s also worried about traffic, demand on the area’s power supply, crime and preserving Plano’s suburban character.
City officials, the Dallas Stars president and real estate developers met with hundreds of residents at open house events in July to hear concerns and present information. The city is studying how to mitigate traffic, noise and lighting impacts, and formed a focus group of neighbors to collect feedback.
Mary Manning (center) goes through different info graphics 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.
Shafkat Anowar/The Dallas Morning News
“Their concerns are our concerns,” said Stars CEO Brad Alberts at the July event. “We don’t want their neighborhoods to be full of congestion and traffic either.”
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Who is behind Victory Green Plano?
Victory Green Plano’s campaign filings, dated early August, show an address linked to a mailbox in Austin and treasurers tied to several PACs in Texas.
Messages sent to the PAC’s press email could not be delivered and phone calls to the number listed on campaign filings were not returned.
“It’s very difficult to understand who’s behind this,” Stebbins said. “It seems like they could have been a lot more open … and instead took this route, and that is concerning.”
In one flyer, Alberts is pictured and quoted, his signature printed underneath.
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Related: How Plano scored the Dallas Stars: The NDAs, $700 million and ‘wolf’ behind the deal
“The Dallas Stars’ move to Plano is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Stars and the City of Plano,” his statement reads.
A Dallas Stars spokesperson said the team is “proud to support this effort,” but did not clarify if the team is financially supporting the committee.
“We’re committed to making Plano our next home, and our investment reflects this commitment,” the statement reads.
Stebbins understands voting against the tax in November won’t necessarily vote against the project itself — the city can still go forward with the project without the added tax revenue.
“It’s the only voice we’re being given in the near term to express how we feel about the overall project,” he said.
Early voting for the Nov. 3 election begins Oct. 19.
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