TX: If Stars move to Plano, how will fans get to games? What to know about transit at Willow Bend

If the Dallas Stars move to Plano, many fans would trade a train ride to American Airlines Center for a drive on some of North Texas' busiest roads.

The proposed arena at the Shops at Willow Bend mall site has no rail station and would rely largely on roads, buses and planned transportation improvements.

The Stars have signed a nonbinding letter of intent to relocate to the mall's property in West Plano, which the City Council will consider Monday night as part of a package of potential tax incentives and funding options.

If the Stars make Plano their new home, here's what getting there could look like.

Roads and transit

The Shops at Willow Bend site is accessible off the Dallas North Tollway and West Park Boulevard, and the property is on a Dallas Area Rapid Transit bus route.

"While West Plano is highly accessible via the Tollway and the Bush Turnpike, the site directly abuts established residential neighborhoods along Park Boulevard and West Plano Parkway," wrote commercial real estate professional Steve Triolet in a report.

Plano is one of DART's 13 member cities. The city called an election to leave DART, citing concerns over service quality and high costs, but canceled the vote after compromisingwith the transit agency on changes to funding, governance and service.

" Plano has the DART Northwest Plano Park and Ride and there are bus routes in western Plano," said Plano's DART board member Anthony Ricciardelli, who declined tocomment on the team's letter of intent. "But at the same time, there are a lot of areas of western Plano that don't have any transit coverage other than microtransit and paratransit."

There's no train line through the area identified for the arena.

DART's Silver Line, which runs east to west, opened in the fall of last year and connects seven cities north of Dallas, from Plano to DFW International Airport.

"As a DART board member, I intend to work on increasing public transit options," Ricciardelli said.

Proposed improvements

According to the letter of intent that the City Council will consider approving Monday, the city and team will collaborate with Plano's public transportation providers to expand service to include bus stops within walking distance of the arena, along with new routes and shuttle options.

The design of the entertainment district is also planned to include a "public transportation hub" with commuting options like rideshare and bikeshare services.

The team and city will work on a transportation and parking plan, including a traffic impact analysis.

The plan, according to the letter of intent, will include on-site parking options, residential permit parking, game-day parking enforcement in surrounding areas and more.

The parties will seek to minimize impact to surrounding communities related tooperatinghours, noise and other quality of life issues, according to city documents.

Traffic concerns

Residents may be unhappy with game night traffic, and balancing "stadium-scale event flows with suburban residential planning" will be important as agreements are deliberated, Triolet wrote.

"If this project goes forward, I'm confident that the city of Plano will work alongside DART to provide traffic management and public transportation solutions that will mitigate the traffic impact of this project for Plano residents," Ricciardelli said.

Earlier this year, Plano resident Julia Horne told The Dallas Morning News she worried an arena at the Shops at Willow Bend site would be "a disaster" for local neighborhoods and said her area in western Plano "is incompatible" with an entertainment district.

Michelle Reynolds, 71, has lived in Carrollton for decades. Her house is just a few miles from the Shops at Willow Bend, but she said earlier this year she already avoids the shopping center because of the traffic. She doesn't see how the area's roads could accommodate an arena.

"Unless they change the roadways somehow and do something different, which will also be a mess because it would be under construction, I just don't know how ... people [will get] in and out of there without a complete gridlock," she said.

For some Stars fans, the move may improve commutes to games.

Billy Embody lives in Plano and told The News earlier this year he only makes the at-times hour-long drive down to Dallas for a game every now and then, despite loving to play and watch hockey. He's eagerfor the team to move to the mall's site.

"It would be unbelievable for Plano," he said. "There's a lot of people up here that would love to go to a Stars game if it were within 15 minutes."

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