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Editor’s Note, 6/3/2026, 6:10 a.m.: This article has been updated to include new information and reaction from Dallas city officials.
Just 24 hours after the Dallas Mavericks announced plans for a new arena in a different part of town, the NHL’s Dallas Stars announced they will be leaving town.
According to the Dallas the team will take Plano up on its offer to build its new home there.
“The team announced Tuesday it has signed a nonbinding letter of intent to build an arena and entertainment district at The Shops at Willow Bend site,” the Dallas Morning News reported on Tuesday afternoon. “The letter was submitted to the Plano City Council and placed on the agenda for a vote during Monday’s meeting.”
The discussions between the team, which is based in Frisco, and the city of Plano, began after the Stars and Mavericks began a legal battle involving their lease agreement at the American Airlines Center, the Dallas home the two have shared since 2001. On Monday, the Mavericks announced plans to purchase 104 acres where Valley View Mall once stood in Far North Dallas. Prior to the AAC opening, the two teams shared Reunion Arena, where the Stars won the 1999 NHL Stanley Cup finals.
“This project would present a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our franchise,” Stars owner Tom Gaglardi said in a statement. “We eagerly await the vote by the Plano City Council and look forward to continuing the conversation to be part of the redevelopment of The Shops at Willow Bend.”
Willow Bend Mall, also opened since 2001, is many years past its prime as a retail location. The past few years has seen many of the mall’s storefronts empty while the massive foodcourt is nearly completely abandoned. Plano plucking the Stars from Dallas marks the second major pilfering in recent times, following AT&T’s decision to move from its downtown Dallas headquarters to a sprawling Plano campus.
According to the Morning news report, the Plano property is around 90-acres, and Brad Alberts, the Stars CEO and president, told the paper a few months ago that the team would “need to begin construction in 2028 or 2029 to be ready for the 2031-32 season.”
According to the letter of intent, reviewed by CBS News, Plano could provide up to $700 million toward the project “from TIRZ revenue and other available funds” for the $1 billion arena development.
Unless the shaky deal between the city and the WNBA’s Wings can be resolved soon, it is likely that Dallas will be without a major pro sports franchise filling Uptown and downtown on a regular basis starting in a few years. And for those keeping score, the Stars announcement comes just hours after it was announced that the downtown Neiman Marcus will indeed close down for good in September.
As the news spread on Tuesday evening, so did the statements from Dalals city leaders who weren’t quite as happy as they were 24 hours earlier.
“While this news is certainly disappointing, I would not characterize it as a setback for Dallas,” Dallas council member Adam Bazaldua told the Morning News. “What is most disappointing is that Dallas taxpayers supported this franchise for decades. Our residents invested in its success, and many will feel that the loyalty and support they provided was not fully reciprocated. That said, the future challenges and responsibilities associated with this decision now belong to Plano.”
For his part, Mayor Eric Johnson took the moment to double down on his hopes for City Hall’s future.
“The news this week belies the fact that Dallas continues to thrive. But it also underscores another fundamental fact: Downtown Dallas must change,” he said. “We must put aside the penny-ante politics, act like the major league city that drives this booming region’s economy, and assert ourselves in this competition with our neighbors. And make no mistake about it, we are in competition with our neighboring cities for residents, for businesses, and for attractions. That is the generational battle ahead of us. We must fight for the city of tomorrow rather than worship decaying, outdated government buildings from bygone eras.”
