American Airlines Center’s future is up in the air after its two long-time tenants — the Dallas Stars and Dallas Mavericks — announced earlier this month they are seeking to build new arenas once their existing lease expires in 2031.
Stars President and CEO Brad Alberts suggests the current arena shouldn’t stand past that date.
“We don’t need another arena. We don’t,” he told The Dallas Morning News on Tuesday. “If the Mavericks are going to stay in the city, we’re going to have another one. Then, we’re gonna go up there [to Plano], and you’ve got one over in Fort Worth, too. Twenty years ago, we had one arena in Dallas and Fort Worth. Now, 25 years later, we’re gonna have four?”
The Stars plan to build a hockey-only arena and entertainment district at The Shops at Willow Bend mall site in Plano. The team plans to break ground in 2028 to have the building ready for the 2031-32 NHL season, which would be the first time the Stars play their home games outside of Dallas since the team relocated to Texas in 1993.
The Mavericks are planning to build an arena at the former Valley View Mall site, which would be basketball-only.
The Dallas Wings are expected to have their own arena downtown when Dallas Memorial Auditorium renovations are complete, though their move-in date has been up in the air for months.
Add in the soon-to-be-renamed Dickie’s in Fort Worth, and Dallas-Fort Worth is set to have an abundance of venues, all of which would be in competition for concerts and other traveling events coming to town.
That reality, plus the fact that AAC won’t have a primary tenant to anchor operations after 2031, went into Alberts’ reasoning as to why he thinks something should replace it. The building will also be by far the oldest of the bunch.
“It probably needs to be something that now fits that neighborhood a little bit better from a real estate perspective, but I don’t know what that is,” he said. “It’s not my responsibility. It’s not my decision or anything.”
The area surrounding the AAC has evolved into an office hub and financial district. The Texas Stock Exchange, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and Scotiabank all have or will have offices in the vicinity. More high-rise buildings to create additional office space are just one idea for what the AAC site could become next decade.