Arena opponents rally Plano residents against Proposition A as supporters tout visitor-paid tax

Opponents of a proposed Dallas Stars arena at the Shops at Willow Bend made their case to residents on Tuesday night, four weeks before Plano voters decide Proposition A on Nov. 3.

The measure would let the city levy a venue tax to help pay for an arena estimated at about $700 million. Dozens of residents turned out for the meeting, which was called by Stop the Star Arena, a recently formed political action committee. Members describe themselves as Plano lawyers, investors and financial experts, and they contend the project's financial projections do not hold up, CBS News Texas reported.

Opponents question infrastructure costs

PAC chair Karen Dubrow said residents have not been told who would cover sewer and drainage work or road widening. "That's not answered. So we are going to pay," she told the station. She also took aim at how the deal is structured: "None of this arena makes dollars nor sense with this proposal."

The group has also gone to the Texas Ethics Commission, filing a complaint that accuses Victory Green PAC, which backs the arena, of flooding residents with campaign texts. Dubrow said the commission has set a hearing on one of the complaints. The CBS News Texas report did not include a response from Victory Green PAC to that complaint.

Supporters point to visitor-paid taxes

Marshall Jackson, a community advisor for Victory Green PAC, said in a statement that homeowners would not carry the cost because the venue tax would fall on hotel stays, car rentals and parking. He said the arena would revive a struggling property and help the school district, and cited a traffic study and financial analysis due before the City Council on Monday, Oct. 12.

The city will present those updated studies at that meeting and will hold a town hall on Tuesday, Oct. 13, for residents with questions about the arena and the ballot measure.

Some at Tuesday's meeting had not made up their minds. Tom McGeehan, a Plano resident of six years who backed AT&T Stadium as an Arlington voter, said he sees both upsides and downsides. "Like I said, the devil's in the details," he said.

Sources

CBS News