Concerned citizens applaud comments from a resident shared during a meeting held for council members to vote on whether to approve key measures in the Dallas Stars’ proposed new arena at the Shops at Willow Bend. The meeting was conducted at the Senator Florence Shapiro Council Chambers, 1520 K Avenue in Plano, on June 8, 2026.
Steve Hamm/The Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Stars have chosen Plano for a new arena and entertainment district at the site of The Shops at Willow Bend shopping mall, and residents have a mix of concern, excitement and trepidation.
Here’s what residents have to say as the suburb gets closer to welcoming its first major league sports team.
Locals sound off
At the council meeting where officials approved several measures in support of the hockey arena project, residents spoke out against it with concerns over traffic and crime. The area of West Plano is home to affluent residential neighborhoods.
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“For decades, West Plano has become one of the most desirable communities in North Texas because of its neighborhoods, schools, safety, accessibility and quality of life,” said resident Rene Elgersma to the council. “The neighborhoods surrounding Willow Bend were built around the expectation of a suburban residential environment — not a regional sports and entertainment district.”
The Crate & Barrel store with the closed Macy’s department story are seen in an aerial view of The Shops at Willow Bend on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, in Plano.
Smiley N. Pool/Staff Photographer
“These projects will bring economic vitality and great amenities to Plano,” said resident Joseph Landers to the council. “We ask that they be implemented thoughtfully with strong maintenance, code enforcement, security and safety measures to complement our established neighborhoods.”
“People closest to the arena, people like me and my neighbors, pay twice, once as taxpayers who are funding the deal, and again as homeowners absorbing the traffic, the noise, the congestion, and the lagging property values,” said Plano resident Jody Venturoni to the council. “My neighbors and I did not choose Plano to live next to a regional entertainment district.”
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“The council puts off a ‘I don’t really care’ attitude against the taxpayers,” said resident Maurizio Militello. “Plano is a great place for it … Unfortunately, there are probably a few too many neighborhoods that are directly around there that will be affected negatively.”
Leaders chime in
“We … want to be a vibrant, relevant city in the future,” Plano council member Rick Horne said on the dais. “We don’t want to be turned into one of the tired cities that you see surrounding us, including some of the larger cities.”
“If this project goes forward, I’m confident that the city of Plano will work alongside DART to provide traffic management and public transportation solutions that will mitigate the traffic impact of this project for Plano residents,” said Anthony Ricciardelli, Plano’s representative on Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s board of directors.
Plano Mayor John Muns listens intently to a speaker during an open forum session as Plano City Council held a meeting for council members to vote on whether to approve key measures in the Dallas Stars’ proposed new arena at the Shops at Willow Bend. The meeting was conducted at the Senator Florence Shapiro Council Chambers, 1520 K Avenue in Plano, on June 8, 2026.
Steve Hamm/The Dallas Morning News
“Willow Bend mall is the real bullseye for season ticket holders,” said Plano Mayor John Muns. “It will provide not only a great place to go watch our favorite team but it will also provide 365 days of opportunity for people to go enjoy dining and shopping and living all in one place.”
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Cost concerns
Plano is using a tax increment reinvestment zone to afford its $700 million contribution to the arena and district, in which tax revenue added from investments in new development and redevelopment in an area is poured back into the district.
“The only reason the city wants to zone this is so it can build an arena for a corporation,” resident Jennifer Groysman told the council. “This is nothing more than a corporate welfare scheme.”
“If arenas were the economic engines they claim to be, cities would move heaven and earth to keep their teams, but they don’t,” Venturoni said. “Publicly funded arenas are great at generating excitement … and bad at generating the returns that they promise.”
Related: Plano City Council approves $700M funding plan for Dallas Stars’ Willow Bend arena district
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“By requiring a large amount of the property tax base to only go to specific areas in the city for infrastructure, it reduces the financial flexibility the city has to deal with budget issues,” said Sean McKenna to the council in opposition of the zone, which he said was “exclusively for the benefit of a corporation.”
“Sports teams constantly move,” said Gary Cary, who previously ran for City Council, to the officials. “I have concerns in the future we’ll have a dead stadium instead of the vibrant retail area we’ve already approved.”
“My concern would be that one day Plano finds itself without adequate revenues for its general operations or having to significantly increase property taxes because of this,” said resident Jim Dillavou. “There’s a lot of information that they need to provide the citizens of Plano.”
Fans show excitement
“It would be unbelievable for Plano,” said Plano resident Billy Embody earlier this year. “There’s a lot of people up here that would love to go to a Stars game if it were within 15 minutes.”
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A rendering for the proposed new development for the planned Dallas Stars arena and entertainment complex.
Courtesy of Centennial
He said an arena at the site of the beleaguered shopping mall could be a “shot in the arm” for the city.
“If the Stars are going to do this, I think they’re going to do it right,” he said. “All sorts of different pockets of Plano … would benefit from this.”
“I’d be happy to have the Stars play in Plano,” Dillavou said. “It’s nothing against them, and there’s a lot of people that are excited about the idea of being able to go to the Stars game.”
City welcomes feedback
Plano officials said they are committed to including residents in the process. Next month, the city will host two community open houses at the mall — on July 8 at 11 a.m. and July 14 at 6 p.m. — and offer a self-guided virtual option from July 8 through July 22.
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Related: How the Shops at Willow Bend went from struggling mall to potential $3 billion sports district
The city also has a website about the project, plano.gov/WillowBendDistrict, that will be updated with project information, frequently asked questions and opportunities to stay informed.
“We have been listening and will be continuing to listen,” said council member Steve Lavine. “We have a lot of work to make sure that it is the best deal that we possibly can [get] for our taxpayers … It’s the beginning.”
Email tips on all things Collin County to lilly.kersh@dallasnews.com.