Dallas Stars Considering New $1 Billion Arena in Plano
The Dallas Stars are considering a new $1 billion arena in Plano at the Shops at Willow Bend Mall site — a move that could see the hockey franchise leave downtown Dallas for the first time in its history, two people with knowledge of the team’s efforts told The Dallas Morning News.
The 107-acre mall property at 6121 W. Park Blvd. has emerged as the favorite to land the NHL franchise after discussions with cities including Frisco, The Colony, Arlington, and Fort Worth if the team leaves the American Airlines Center after its lease expires in 2031, they said.
The 1.4-million-square-foot mall, the last enclosed mall built in Texas, opened in 2001. Despite hundreds of millions of dollars spent by previous owners, the mall has struggled to attract sufficient shoppers and stores.
The team declined to comment on the prospects of an arena at the Willow Bend site, but the Stars are looking for a facility with “365-day revenue,” team president Brad Alberts told The News in an interview earlier this month.
Background and Context
“Creating 365-day revenue, I feel, is essential to the health of sports and entertainment businesses, especially NHL businesses that depend on local revenue far more than others,” he said.
“I think the biggest problem that we have with staying in Dallas is that we don’t have that. We don’t control any of the real estate outside of the building. We’re looking for that opportunity that can create 365-day-a-year revenue outside and also have an incredible in-venue, in-arena experience,” he added.
The Stars’ headquarters and practice facility are in Frisco, less than a mile from the Ford Center at The Star, where the Dallas Cowboys have their world headquarters.
A view of The Shops at Willow Bend mall sign at W Park Blvd and the North Dallas Tollway in Plano, Texas, October 28, 2025.
Tom Fox / Staff Photographer
Current Situation and Potential Move
The Mavericks and Stars have shared venues since the Stars moved to Dallas from Minneapolis in 1993, previously cohabiting the Reunion Arena. They both moved into the American Airlines Center when the venue opened in 2001. The Mavericks, under the ownership of the Adelson family, are looking to build a new basketball-first arena in Dallas, freeing the Stars to find a new home when the AAC lease ends in 2031.
The relationship between the two Dallas franchises has deteriorated over the last year, reaching a climax Tuesday when the Mavericks filed suit against the hockey franchise.
Related
The city’s NBA team alleges the Stars are in breach of a clause in their 1998 franchise agreement that requires their corporate headquarters to be located within the city of Dallas, while also claiming in the request for an injunction that the Stars have obstructed further maintenance and improvements to American Airlines Center.
Reactions and Potential Consequences
Representatives for the city of Dallas did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the Stars and their potential Plano arena.
Key Willow Bend property owners Dallas-based Cawley Partners, Dallas-based Centennial, and Waterfall Asset Management did not respond to emails, text messages, and phone calls from The News regarding the potential arena project. The trio acquired the property in 2022.
In September, The News requested emails and any communications sent to Plano city staff and council members regarding the Dallas Stars. Plano officials asked the Texas Attorney General’s Office to withhold the records, claiming the information requested “relates to a business prospect that has undertaken or proposed to undertake a business expansion or relocation project in the city.”
