‘It’s just great real estate’: Dallas Stars and arena developers share

Dallas Stars President Brad Alberts said the team ultimately decided to move to Plano to follow its fans.

Stars officials and representatives with Centennial and Cawley Partners, two real estate companies involved in the development of a new arena in Plano, were present for an open house hosted by the city of Plano about the project.

What they’re saying

Alberts said the Stars fanbase has been progressively moving north up the Dallas North Tollway.

“As we start to project out, it’s only going to skew even farther north of that tollway,” Alberts said. “As we think about growth north of Plano, north of Frisco, Celina and all those areas start to come and mature, those are gonna be NHL hockey fans living in those areas.”

The Stars arena would be under a 30-year lease, per previous reporting, which developers said would give the stability it needs for more development.

“[The Stars arena] allows this project to be built in a way that it otherwise couldn’t be built,” Centennial Chief Executive Officer Steven Levin said.

Centennial is the primary owner of The Shops at Willow Bend, where the arena will be located. Cawley Partners is another development company working on the project and focuses on mixed-use or multifamily developments.

Cawley Partners Chief Executive Officer Bill Cawley said the new arena and the district to be developed with it will lead to an experiential development for those who live there.

“Willow Bend was beautiful, but it just never worked as it was, and it’s exciting to be able to find this quality of location,” Cawley said. “This city is so progressive and connected. It’s just great real estate in the hands of people that really care, and it’s going to be what it should be.”

Put in perspective

Data from the North Central Texas Council of Governments from May found that Collin County led all counties in growth across the metroplex. The population has continued to shift northward and slightly eastward, according to NCTCOG.

The North Central Texas region saw 200,000 more residents in 2025. The entire region’s population is nearly 9 million as of Jan. 1, per NCTCOG data. In Plano, population growth reached more than 300,000 residents.

The city expects Plano to reach more than 340,000 residents by 2035, but also projects that its population growth will level out at 300,000.

Looking ahead

Residents have previously expressed concerns about the traffic, noise, and safety concerns that could come with a new arena arriving in Plano. The city will be hosting its second open house event July 14 from 6-8 p.m. for residents to learn more about the city’s current regulations and share feedback about the stadium.

“We don’t want the experience for our fans coming to events or coming to the restaurants … of this development to be inconvenienced by traffic,” Alberts said. “At the same time, we live in a big city, so everyone has to have realistic expectations.”