Credit: Sam Nestler/DLLS Sports-Twitter/X
The Dallas Stars and Mavericks are getting divorced, and the city of Dallas is taking the house.
Dallas’ mayor and elected officials have made it clear they no longer want the Stars, siding with the Mavericks in the ridiculous lawsuit.
The Stars are moving to Plano in 2031 and need to figure out a litany of logistics before then. Fans are not happy, the citizens of Plano are not happy, and this whole situation has spiraled out of control over the past year.
New renderings of an arena at the Shops at Willow Bend are up. A unanimous vote is giving the Stars a new home with extra taxes.
Dallas is now losing their hockey team up north, and everyone is miffed.Moving
This long lawsuit between the two teams means the Stars are not staying where they are not wanted. Both the Stars and Mavericks are building separate arenas. The Stars are moving 17 miles north to the site currently occupied by the Shops at Willow Bend. That mall will feature a demolition to make way for their new hockey team.
The area is quite the 180 from the bustling center of downtown Dallas. Various shops, churches, and a school are in the vicinity. This is not a prime location that will need revitalizing and redeveloping over the next five years.
Plano Doesn’t Want Them
Credit: Sam Nestler/DLLS Sports-Twitter/X
The Plano City Council held a public meeting Monday night. Residents were allowed to speak publicly, and they let their displeasure be known. Residents of Plano are worried about an increase in taxes that inevitably trickle down to citizens.
The City Council voted 8-0 In favor of all intentions for the Stars to move there. The city approved $700 million in funds to help pay for a roughly $1 billion arena, and $3 billion in total for an entertainment complex.
Plano may hold a special election to vote on the taxes, mostly centered on visitors. There are proposed car rental, hotel occupancy, event parking/admissions, and visiting professional athlete taxes to help fund the project.
Speaking of not wanting them, the area in and around the proposed site will need serious infrastructure improvements. Most of the roads around the arena are only 3-4 lanes each. Most concerning to residents is the extremely close proximity to several neighborhoods of houses. They will have to deal with a massive construction project alongside decades of fan traffic pouring in and out of the area. There are hundreds of reasons why Plano residents don’t want them. Multiple problems will arise as this project continues gaining traction toward its inevitability.
Getting There
A significant portion of Stars fans use public transportation while attending games at the American Airlines Center. The Trinity Railway Express brings fans from as far as Fort Worth. The DART trains take people to and from many areas in Dallas. The nearest light rail station to this site is six miles away. This also includes transferring from the Green Line to the Silver Line to get to the nearest station. This royally hosed Stars fans living around Fort Worth. It takes 58 minutes for a train to get from Fort Worth T&P Station to the American Airlines Center. Double that after games. Fort Worth Stars fans need to take three trains to get to this new area. Add another 31 minutes from Victory to Downtown Carrollton, then another 11 minutes from there to Knoll Trail Station.
Many Stars fans will opt out of going to games if the journey takes too long. Fort Worth fans are looking at a 1:40 one-way train journey one-way, plus additional time waiting for trains. Driving is also an issue. The new arena is right off the North Dallas Tollway and slightly away from the President George Bush Turnpike. There are no non-toll freeways anywhere nearby. The current infrastructure of the area can in no way, shape, or form handle the throughput of approximately 18,000 fans trickling through. Planners need a lot of help with this one.
They Need Light Rail
Light rail transportation is an absolute must for Stars fans. Look at the Entertainment District in Arlington. You have Six Flags, current and former Rangers ballparks, and AT&T Stadium. The FIFA World Cup will have matches there, including the Semi-Final. That area has little public transportation and no light rail services. Traffic around I-30 and Collins Street during any event is a soul-crushing nightmare with no escape.
Fans don’t want to drive in Dallas traffic because it sucks.
Driving in Dallas at any time sucks, especially during rush hour, which lasts from 2 pm to forever. The Trinity Railway Express is frequently standing-room-only during Stars games because the journey is so convenient. Many fans take it with easy-to-access stations ranging from Dallas to Fort Worth. Building a light rail system to the new arena is a must.
Everything about this entire situation is a bad-tasting sandwich. Dallas has now lost every single one of its Big Four sports teams. It’s almost a 100% certainty that the Stars are moving to Plano after receiving $700 million from the city.They can’t stay at the American Airlines Center without getting snubbed financially. Lots of logistical moves over the next five years can make this work out. This move is one out of a limited number of options.
Some positives could come out of this; if they build new roadways that improve traffic flow, it might make fans’ travel time easier. New train options open up a range of benefits for light rail commuters.
We’ll have several developments over the next few years before the Plano Stars play in 2031.
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Tags: american airlines center AT&T Stadium Cowboys Dallas Cowboys Dallas Mavericks dallas stars DART Jake Oettinger jamie benn Jason Robertson Mavericks Mikko Rantanen Miro Heiskanen NBA nhl Roope Hintz stars tyler seguin
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