08/27/2026
🏒 Big News for West Plano, and What It Means for YOUR Home Value
If you live in or near West Plano, Frisco, The Colony or anywhere along the Dallas North Tollway corridor, you need to know about this because it is going to affect your neighborhood and your home value for years to come.
The Dallas Stars have chosen Plano for their future home, signing a nonbinding letter of intent to build an arena and entertainment district at The Shops at Willow Bend site.
And last week it became official, Plano City Council voted to support the proposed Dallas Stars arena at The Shops at Willow Bend, approving a series of measures designed to advance one of the largest redevelopment projects in the city's history.
Here is the full picture (the good, the great and the honest cautions) from someone who has been selling real estate in this corridor for over 21 years. 👇
🏗️ What is actually being built:
A new Stars arena would anchor a roughly $3 billion mixed-use district on about 90 acres at the former mall site. This is not just a hockey rink; it is a full entertainment district designed to be a year-round destination for all of North Texas.
Stars owner Tom Gaglardi will become a co-owner with Steve Levin of Levin Holdings and Bill Cawley of Cawley Partners. Gaglardi's real estate development company, Northland Properties, will be a decision-maker and profit off the $2 billion in real estate that surrounds the arena.
Willow Bend's demolition would begin in 2027. The owners initially plan to demolish the inline space of the mall, the theater as well as the Dillard's and Crayola buildings.
✅ THE POSITIVES (And there are real ones):
🏠 Home values along the tollway corridor will rise: Major entertainment districts consistently drive appreciation in surrounding neighborhoods. Homes within 3 to 5 miles of a new arena and $3 billion mixed-use development almost always see accelerated appreciation compared to the broader market. If you own near Willow Bend right now. Congratulations, you are sitting on a long-term appreciation story.
🍽️ Restaurant, retail and hospitality explosion: A $3 billion entertainment district brings with it hotels, restaurants, bars, boutique retail and service businesses. The dining and entertainment scene in West Plano is about to get significantly more vibrant over the next 5 to 10 years.
💼 Jobs and economic activity: Construction alone will bring thousands of jobs to the area. The permanent entertainment district will bring thousands more ongoing positions in hospitality, events and retail.
📈 Collin County real estate fundamentals get even stronger: Plano was already one of the most sought-after markets in North Texas. Adding an NHL arena and a $3 billion destination district to the mix makes the case for Collin County real estate even more compelling for buyers relocating to DFW from out of state.
⚠️ THE HONEST CAUTIONS, because you deserve the full picture:
🚗 Traffic on the Tollway corridor is going to get worse before it gets better: The nearest DART rail station to Willow Bend is about 6 miles south, where the Silver Line stops at Addison Station and Knoll Trail Station. With limited transit access, game nights will add significant traffic on the Dallas North Tollway and West Park Boulevard. If you live immediately adjacent to the site this is a real quality of life consideration on event nights.
🏗️ Construction disruption from 2027 through the early 2030s: Demolition begins in 2027 and a project of this scale will mean years of construction activity, noise, dust and traffic pattern changes in West Plano. Neighborhoods immediately surrounding the site will feel this most acutely.
💰 $700 million in public funding: The Dallas Stars could get millions in tax breaks for a new stadium as part of a funding plan for a new $700 million arena. This is a legitimate policy debate worth following as a taxpayer and homeowner in Plano.
🏙️ Downtown Dallas loses both major franchises: The Mavericks announced they entered into an options agreement at the former Valley View Mall in North Dallas, and the Stars propose a similar transformation at The Shops at Willow Bend; turning two struggling regional mall sites into North Texas's newest entertainment hubs. What this means for downtown Dallas real estate and the AAC district is a separate conversation worth watching.
What this means for buyers and sellers RIGHT NOW:
If you own a home within 3 to 5 miles of the Willow Bend site in West Plano (along the Tollway corridor, or in communities like Frisco, The Colony and Legacy West), the announcement of this project is already a positive signal for your long-term home value. These types of anchor developments take years to complete but the appreciation they drive tends to begin well before the ribbon-cutting.
If you are considering buying in West Plano or the surrounding area, this is a meaningful data point in your favor for long-term appreciation, with the honest caveat that the next several years of construction will bring disruption to the immediate area.
As always I am happy to pull real comparable sales data for any specific neighborhood near the Willow Bend corridor and give you an honest assessment of where values are heading. Zero pressure. Just the real picture.
📞 214-697-1742
📧 [email protected]
📲 KingRealtyTexas.com
Shawna King · Broker/Owner · King Realty Texas · 21+ Years DFW Real Estate · TREC #9014648 · Equal Housing Opportunity Shawna King, Realtor Shawna King
