Dallas Stars' Relocation Could Benefit Suburbs Like Plano Or Frisco

Possible relocations of Dallas’ professional hockey and basketball teams could have wide-ranging effects on the region and on prominent northern suburbs like Plano and Frisco.

Both markets will have the biggest impact on Dallas-Fort Worth over the next five years, according to The Retail Connection co-founder and President Alan Shor. Each city already has a strong retail market. But the future looks even brighter, thanks to huge projects on the way and the potential for a new sports-centric arena development. 

“If Willow Bend is fortunate enough to have its major transformation that's being discussed, it's going to be a boon for Plano,” Shor said during Bisnow's DFW Executive Market Kickoff 2026 event Thursday at the Thompson Hotel Dallas. “Their government is business-friendly and willing to be strategic and open up its wallet.”

The American Airlines Center leases for the Dallas Stars and Dallas Mavericks expire in 2031, and each franchise is on the hunt for a new arena in the region. The Stars have discussed Plano and Frisco, though the team reportedly favors building a $1B arena at the site of the former Shops at Willow Bend mall.

Various redevelopment plans for Willow Bend have been announced and refined over the past few years, but none have yet gotten underway. 

If the Stars were to move to Willow Bend, the team's ownership would need to contribute $400M to $500M toward the redevelopment costs, according to Dallas investor and Charter Holdings CEO Ray Washburne. However, he said the team has the option to buy the American Airlines Center from the city in 2031, and converting it into a hockey-only arena would only cost $100M to $200M. 

“If you're the owner of the Stars, do you want to write a check for $500M to go out there?” Washburne said, adding the team has a history of selling out the arena. “You think they're going to sell another ticket by going to Plano? No.”

However, Plano could be aggressive in its recruitment of the Stars, Shor said. A new arena would need less than a quarter of Willow Bend’s 90 acres. 

That leaves 70 acres of development opportunities that could prove fruitful to the city, he said.

If Plano leaves the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system, the funds it contributes to that service could be used to entice the Stars to the city, Washburne said.

DART is funded through a 1% sales tax in each of its member cities. Plano regularly contributes more than $100M in sales tax collections to the agency each year. 

City voters will decide whether to leave the transit agency’s service area in a May 2 election. 

Cities such as Frisco and Arlington aren't part of DART, and Washburne said those cities use the funds they save to lure new projects and build stadiums.

Despite the potential for a sports-centric development, Washburne said he doesn’t believe a new arena is the best opportunity for Plano.

“How does that change the economics of that city? It doesn't,” Washburne said. “They can take that money and do so many different things, create greater economic activity for their city than building that arena."

Frisco has many of the same attributes as Plano, Shor said. Its population has grown exponentially over the past two decades, and the 2,500-acre Fields master-planned development will make Frisco even more important to the region. 

The first phase of that $2B project will span 55 acres and include more than 1,100 multifamily units, 350K SF of retail and 325K SF of office space. The first elements of the project are expected to open late next year. 

The Fields development is one of several high-profile projects coming to Frisco. Construction is also underway on the multibillion-dollar mixed-use developments The Mix at the corner of Lebanon Road and the Dallas North Tollway and Firefly Park at the intersection of the DNT and U.S. Highway 380. 

The first-of-its-kind Universal Kids Resort is also slated to open in Frisco later this year.

With their projects in the pipeline and a history of attracting corporate relocations, such as AT&T’s upcoming move to Plano, each city is well positioned to continue to prosper. 

“Population and job growth, that's the key that triggers everything,” Shor said.