- Plano voters rejected the venue tax proposal tied to the Stars’ planned arena
- About 55 percent voted no on the measure meant to cover the city’s $700 million share
- Read below for what the city says comes next and why 2031 matters
Plano voters said no to the Dallas Stars’ arena funding plan.
Unofficial results from Tuesday’s election show Proposition A failing, with 54,714 votes against and 45,170 in favor in the Collin County portion of the city. Counting the piece of Plano that sits in Denton County, the tally was 56,061 to 46,658.
The measure would have authorized taxes on tickets, parking, car rentals, hotel rooms and the pro teams that play in the building. That money was meant to help the city pay off up to $700 million in bonds it committed to a proposed $1 billion arena, the centerpiece of a $3 billion redevelopment at The Shops at Willow Bend.
Here is how the Stars first showed off the project in August:
The vote was only about the taxes, not whether the arena can be built. Plano Mayor John Muns made clear the city isn’t walking away.
“The proposed redevelopment at The Shops at Willow Bend remains an important opportunity for our community. We are committed to thoughtful reinvestment and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars as we consider what comes next.”
City leaders say they will look at other ways to pay for their share. Council already approved a tax increment reinvestment zone that could direct future tax revenue in the area to the project over 41 years, but there is still no final development agreement.
The group that fought the proposition, Stop the Stars Arena PAC, celebrated at a watch party in downtown Plano. Willow Bend resident Judith Walsh explained what the result means to her.
“We’re sending a message to the city.”
The PAC plans to ask the people who voted no to write city officials and urge them to stop the arena from moving forward.
Dallas picked HNTB to design the building and made the announcement in August, a few weeks before the city called the election:
The Stars would lease the city-owned arena for 30 years and hope to move in by 2031, when their lease at American Airlines Center expires. Stars president Brad Alberts argued last month that the taxes would fall mostly on visitors and not Plano residents, and a majority of the people who showed up disagreed.
Results stay unofficial until they are canvassed, and the Stars have six years to find a way to make Plano work.
