With early voting on Proposition A opening Monday, the city of Plano has posted its written answers to 120 questions residents submitted about the proposed Dallas Stars arena at The Shops at Willow Bend.
The log, titled "Public Questions - Comprehensive" and dated for the Willow Bend Redevelopment Advisory Committee's Oct. 13 meeting, prints each question as it was received next to a staff response. It sits on the committee's page with that meeting's agenda and recording. Four of the 124 entries are labeled as comments rather than questions.
Most of the questions fall under two headings, financing and traffic. Many of the traffic answers repeat the same points: the city has hired the consulting firm Fehr & Peers, a preliminary Phase I traffic report is due by the end of October, and a longer Phase II would deal with specific intersections, cut-through traffic and parking in nearby neighborhoods if the project moves ahead.
What the answers say
- Costs: The team, not the city, would be responsible for construction overruns, and the city would hire an independent construction manager. The total cost of road work, traffic fixes and other infrastructure "has not yet been determined."
- Borrowing: Bonds are expected to be issued in early 2028, so the interest rate is not known.
- Transit: "There are no plans for rail service at this time to the site." The city says it is working with DART, which is studying transit options across the district.
- Police: Extra police staffing and resource needs "have not yet been determined." The city says its intent is for the team to pay event traffic and security costs, which remains under negotiation.
- Parking: The published renderings are conceptual, and parking will be set during site plan review. Requests from the Wyndham Hill and Glen Meadows neighborhoods for gates are in "active discussions."
- Eminent domain: The city is not planning road improvements that would require it.
On the ballot question
Several answers address what Proposition A does. The city says it has no finalized plans for the arena and that the vote decides only whether venue taxes may be part of the funding plan. "A 'NO' vote does not prevent the City from proceeding with the arena project under the TIRZ statute or other law," one answer reads.
Another says that if the measure fails, the city would re-evaluate its funding sources, and that the City Council must approve a final master agreement either way.
