{"id":329164,"date":"2026-06-09T14:00:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T14:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/329164\/"},"modified":"2026-06-09T14:00:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T14:00:08","slug":"plano-moves-forward-on-1-billion-dallas-stars-arena-at-willow-bend-local-profile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/329164\/","title":{"rendered":"Plano Moves Forward On $1 Billion Dallas Stars Arena At Willow Bend – Local Profile"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Shops at Willow Bend has seen better days. Like many enclosed malls<\/a> across the country, the upscale Plano destination has struggled to hold onto its identity in a retail landscape that long ago shifted beneath it. But on Monday night, the Plano City Council set in motion a plan that could dramatically rewrite what happens on that land, and what it means for the city surrounding it.<\/p>\n

In a unanimous vote, the council approved a suite of agreements that mark the first concrete steps toward building a new multipurpose arena at the Willow Bend site, one that would anchor a larger sports and entertainment district along the Dallas North Tollway and serve as the future home of the Dallas Stars<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What The City Actually Approved<\/p>\n

The June 8 meeting produced several distinct actions. The council approved a non-binding Letter of Intent with the Dallas Stars, an incentive agreement with developers Levin Holdings and Cawley Partners and the creation of a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) covering the mall property and surrounding non-residential parcels along the tollway. A Venue Project Resolution was also approved for submission to the State Comptroller, which is a required step before any venue tax election can be called.<\/p>\n

The city’s financial commitment is substantial. Plano agreed to contribute $700 million toward what is expected to be a roughly $1 billion project<\/a>, with the TIRZ structure funneling tax dollars collected near Willow Bend to back the necessary bonds. Crucially, the city of Plano would own the arena outright and enter into a 30-year lease agreement with the Stars.<\/p>\n

\"screen-shot-2026-06-09-at-83625-am\"
\nPhoto: City of Plano <\/p>\n

The council also approved around $15 million in grants to the developer to cover the cost of tearing down the existing mall. Demolition is currently slated to begin in 2027.<\/p>\n

“Plano has built a reputation as a city that welcomes world-class partners and community-focused investment,” said Mayor John Muns. “These actions are a significant first step as we evaluate the potential for a thoughtfully designed sports and entertainment district that reflects the priorities and values of our community.”<\/p>\n

A District, Not Just An Arena<\/p>\n

City leaders and developers have been careful to frame this as something bigger than a hockey rink. The vision includes retail, restaurants, residential units, public gathering spaces and other sports and entertainment venues.<\/p>\n

The development partnership includes Levin Holdings, Cawley Partners and Centennial.<\/p>\n

“The Shops at Willow Bend has long been in our sights as an ideal location for creating a vibrant destination that blends sports and entertainment, retail, dining, office space and housing,” said Steven Levin of Levin Holdings. “It’s an opportunity to reimagine this property as a place where the community can come together and where Plano can continue to grow and thrive.”<\/p>\n

\"screen-shot-2026-06-09-at-83549-am\"
\nPhoto: City of Plano <\/p>\n

Voters Get A Say<\/p>\n

None of this moves forward without clearing a few more hurdles. The Venue Project Resolution approved Monday must first receive sign-off from the State Comptroller. Once that’s in hand, the council can formally call a special election \u2014 tentatively set for Nov. 3, 2026 \u2014 putting the funding mechanism to Plano voters.<\/p>\n

That ballot would ask residents to authorize several specific venue taxes: a short-term motor vehicle rental tax, a hotel occupancy tax, an event parking tax, an event admissions tax and a venue use tax applied to professional players competing in the arena. The proceeds would fund arena construction and related infrastructure.<\/p>\n

City officials say resident input will be a central part of the process moving forward. Two in-person community open houses are scheduled inside Shops at Willow Bend<\/a> this July:<\/p>\n


\n\tJuly 8 \u2014 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
\n\tJuly 14 \u2014 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. <\/p>\n

Both events will be accessible through the entrance near Equinox and Crate & Barrel.<\/p>\n

For those who can’t make it in person, a self-guided virtual open house will run from July 8 through July 22 at plano.gov\/WillowBendDistrict<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The city is also commissioning traffic and mobility studies to get a clearer picture of how a major entertainment venue could affect roads, intersections, parking and pedestrian access in the area.<\/p>\n

For a city that has spent decades building a reputation around corporate headquarters and quiet suburbs, this is a different kind of swing. Whether Plano voters decide it’s the right one is still months away.<\/p>\n

Don’t miss anything Local. Sign up<\/a> for our free newsletter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Shops at Willow Bend has seen better days. Like many enclosed malls across the country, the upscale…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":329165,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[117602,160,162,161],"class_list":["post-329164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-plano","tag-hockeynhllocal-newsdallas-starsdallasnorth-texasplanocollin-countythe-shops-at-willow-bendnewsletter_allthe-bend","tag-plano","tag-plano-headlines","tag-plano-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329164","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=329164"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329164\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/329165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=329164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=329164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=329164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}