PLANO, Texas - Plano's mayor brought up some uncertainty about a future Dallas Stars arena in his city on Thursday, just over a week after a measure to help fund it was struck down by the city's voters.
"I don't know"
What they're saying:
Speaking at an AT&T headquarters groundbreaking in Plano on Thursday, Plano mayor John Muns told reporters he was "disappointed" to see Plano voters strike down Proposition A last week.
"We're working now to see, you know, what avenues we have. Obviously, the venue tax failure affected the financial issues. But we're working really diligently to come up with some solutions. That may work, and at the same time, we'll just see what the Stars and the developer think, and hopefully we can come up with a solution and find a way that we can continue the project."
John Muns
55% of Plano voters voted against the measure, which would have added a tax on car rentals, hotels, parking, admissions and other venues around the Shops at Willow Bend Mall.
When asked if he was confident the Stars would still end up in Plano after Prop A's rejection, Muns said, "I don't know."
"It's not for me to say, but we'll obviously give them many avenues and options that could work, and we'll see what they have to say," he continued.
Muns said the city's experience in bringing companies like AT&T, Toyota, and J.P. Morgan to Plano will help their case in continuing development of a new Stars arena in the city.
Plano Proposition A fails
Dig deeper:
Muns' comments come over a week after Prop A's failure to pass, which has left the city trying to figure out new ways to help fund a new Dallas Stars arena the team wants to build at the current Shops at Willow Bend Mall site.
Plano has committed $700 million to help fund a new Stars arena, which the team announced their intent to build in Plano in June. City leaders projected Prop A's venue taxes would have generated $700 million to $900 million.
In the wake of Prop A's failure to pass, Plano City Manager Mark Israelson said the city's financing approach for the new arena would "need to be reassessed" before any new action could be taken.
In a statement on election night, Muns said the Shops at Willow Bend redevelopment project was still an "important opportunity" for the city.
At the first Plano City Council meeting since election day, the city's leaders did not address the measure's failure to pass.
Plano residents who have voiced their opposition to the arena did during open comment, however, and some chanted "puck no" as the meeting adjourned.
Dallas leaders began angling for the team to stay in Downtown Dallas after Proposition A failed to pass.
What they're saying:
"I don’t think it belongs here."
David Romick, who campaigned against Prop A with the STOP The Stars Arena PAC, tells FOX 4's David Sentendrey the measure's rejection signals Plano residents don't want the arena in their city.
"People were not only voting down the venue taxes but were voting down the project as a whole," Romick said. "I am sure they don’t want the arena in Plano."
Romick pointed to traffic concerns and the arena not fitting the city's "suburban nature" as reasons to reject a Dallas Stars arena being built in Plano.
David Romick
He thinks Muns might not be as confident now as he was a few months ago in the arena's approval.
"It seemed like he wasn’t as sure as he’s always presented in the past," Romick continued. "So we are going to continue to go forward with this."
Dallas Stars statement
The Stars declined to respond to Muns' comments. On election night, they released a statement saying they're "confident" their new arena will be built in Plano.
Read the full statement below:
"While we are disappointed that Proposition A did not pass, we are confident in the long-term vision for a city-owned arena project and the positive impact it will have on the City of Plano. As Proposition A was a component of a broader financing strategy, we look forward to continuing our partnership with the City of Plano as it pursues a project finance zone to be created by the Texas legislature. We remain committed to advancing this important project that will create jobs, attract new visitors, and generate economic benefits for the Plano community for decades to come."
What's next:
The Stars have said they expect the new arena to be complete by 2031, when their current lease at the American Airlines Center in Downtown Dallas ends.
The Source: Information in this story comes from Plano mayor John Muns and previous FOX 4 reporting.