A rendering for the proposed new development for the planned Dallas Stars arena and entertainment complex.
Courtesy of Centennial
For months, the idea of the Stars leaving Dallas felt distant.
It was a possibility that only existed in closed-door conversations, and no member of Dallas’ city government wanted to come to terms with it.
Even when the Stars signed a letter of intent with the City of Plano in June to build a $1 billion arena and mixed-use entertainment district at The Shops at Willow Bend, it was considered non-binding.
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But all actions by the team since show it’s serious about leaving American Airlines Center in 2031 — its home of nearly three decades.
Last week, the Stars took a major step, selecting architecture firm HNTB to design the arena in Plano. The Kansas City-founded firm with offices in Dallas and Plano will be working in its backyard to design the NHL’s newest arena.
“We’re excited to create a home that’s unmistakably Dallas Stars, one that captures all the passion and intensity of hockey and Dallas Stars culture and making it a place that could only be there,” Ryan Gedney, HNTB’s national director of design, said in an interview with The Dallas Morning News.
The firm has design experience across industries, working on bridges, highways, airports and public transit. But it also has designed several high-profile sports projects, including the Las Vegas Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium, San Francisco 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium, Denver Broncos’ Empower Field at Mile High, Milwaukee Bucks’ Fiserv Forum and the Athletics’ new ballpark in Las Vegas.
HNTB has never designed a hockey-only arena, but Gedney says his team of up to 25 people have plenty of experience working with NHL clients.
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“Our firm has seen tremendous growth and with that growth comes really incredible talent,” he said. “Our team that will be on Stars had leadership roles on a range of NHL and NBA arenas.”
Gedney says he and his team see the Stars project as far more than a hockey arena. One of the aspects that excited them most was the opportunity to work with owner Tom Gaglardi, who has an expertise in hospitality as the president of Northland Properties, which operates hotels and restaurants.
“At its core, sports and entertainment venues are rooted in that word ‘hospitality,’” he said. “This is about much more than an arena. It’s creating something that is really alive and vital every day of the year as a live, work, play destination.”
A resident follow a rendering 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
As HNTB begins their design work, they’re keeping one consideration front-of-mind.
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The Stars aren’t just looking to build an arena for 2026. In fact, they won’t even play in the new one until 2031. They want it to be a space that can hold up until 2081 and beyond.
If the Stars and Mavericks follow through with plans to each build new arenas and vacate American Airlines Center in 2031, they will have only spent 30 years in the building before it may need to be repurposed or torn down.
Stars President and CEO Brad Alberts has voiced concern about the building’s suite-heavy structure, which catered to the audience of the early 2000s but doesn’t meet the modern needs of premium seating and the year-round activity and revenue.
Plano residents also expressed concern during a recent city council meeting in June that if the city welcomed the Stars, the team could just use their taxpayer money to fund $700 million worth of a $1 billion stadium and leave it empty three decades later.
“There’s a heightened goal around designing places that can flex and adapt over time in smarter ways that help the building to not only work harder every day of the year but also change and adapt as market conditions evolve,” Gedney said. “We’re all trying to not only design for today but design for 50 years, and no one knows what’s down the road in 50 years. We can be smart about how we create places that can endure and allow for minor change instead of major changes that are required well down the road.”
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Michael Platt, (right), Executive Vice President of Mixed-Use Development at Centennial Real Estate discusses about the renderings with residents 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
Gedney emphasizes that they’re in the early design stages, mostly listening to stakeholders before putting pen to paper. In the past, they’ve taken inspiration from existing stadiums, the ownership group and even fans. HNTB designed ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, the stadium for MLS’ Columbus Crew, and consulted with a group of fans to create certain zones of the stadium that include patio decks and a beer garden.
The Stars released renderings that show the early concept of what the arena and surrounding district could look like, but Gedney says those are simply ideas.
“We consider ourselves at the state of a blank sheet of paper,” he said.
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HNTB couldn’t share the precise timeline, but the Stars have said they plan to break ground on their new arena by 2028 and for it to be ready in time for the 2031-32 NHL season.
“I just want fans to know that they should expect us to aim high and to really set a new bar for the NHL — a best-in-class destination,” Gedney said.