Plano City Council members got a briefing Monday night on the Dallas Stars' proposed arena and entertainment district at The Shops at Willow Bend, and the police department's plans were among the few new details.
Police Chief Ed Drain told the council his department would need significantly more resources on game nights, but that the organization putting on an event, not the city, would pay for that police work, according to FOX 4's account of the meeting. Drain also said the department is considering placing a patrol bureau on the site, CBS News Texas reported.
"That may be a possibility, we do if that area is going to be busy when they're not having games or concerts," Drain said.
What else was presented
The Willow Bend Redevelopment Advisory Committee, made up of homeowners association representatives from 10 Plano neighborhoods, walked through its work. Maps showed suggested street changes around the mall, including widening some roads, adding turn lanes and posting no-parking signs in nearby neighborhoods, CBS reported. FOX 4 reported that traffic is the committee's top concern but that concrete traffic data was not presented Monday.
The committee also repeated a city-commissioned study's finding that nearby homes could expect steady appreciation rather than a sudden jump, with any gains coming from the entertainment district several years after it opens.
Both sides at the microphone
Members of the STOP The Stars Arena PAC, which opposes Proposition A, used public comment to press for figures on road, drainage and power costs. "Everything says, 'Oh, we're still negotiating that, or we don't know that yet,'" said David Romick, a PAC member.
