Picture a 7 p.m. game at Willow Bend in 2031. During the hour before puck drop, the City of Plano's preliminary traffic memo projects about 550 vehicles leaving the southbound Dallas North Tollway at the Park Boulevard off-ramp. They would have 350 feet to merge across two lanes into the southern project driveway, cutting through roughly 660 vehicles already traveling on southbound Dallas Parkway. The memo says this combination of volume, speed and distance "do not satisfy the requirements for a safe traffic weave."
Proposition A, the Nov. 3 ballot measure, does not address that ramp. The ballot asks how Plano would pay its share of a proposed Dallas Stars arena at The Shops at Willow Bend. The decisions that matter most to a nearby homeowner come afterward: which intersections get widened, whose curbs become permit-only parking on game nights, and who pays for those changes. This post goes up five days before the vote, and none of those answers will be on the ballot.
Visitors Pay the Taxes on the Ballot
The official election notice describes Proposition A as a venue tax measure under Chapter 334 of the Texas Local Government Code. The ballot itself carries the words "THIS IS A TAX INCREASE." Approval would let the city levy any or all of the five taxes below.
| Venue tax | Maximum rate | Who pays it |
|---|---|---|
| Short-term motor vehicle rental | Up to 5% | People renting cars in Plano |
| Hotel occupancy | Up to 2% of room price, with a combined city hotel tax cap of 15% | Hotel guests |
| Event parking | Up to $3 per vehicle | Drivers parking at the venue |
| Admissions | Up to 10% of ticket price | Ticket buyers |
| Facility use | Up to $5,000 per game | Players on major-league teams playing there |
None of the five touches the residential property tax rate. Deputy City Manager Doug McDonald told Community Impact that it "is not a tax on our property taxes, a tax increase in the rate. It's not a tax that everyone's going to see." The same report contrasts this with Arlington, which added a half-cent sales tax to help pay for its stadiums. Plano's proposal includes no sales tax. KERA reported a projection of $700 million to $900 million in venue tax revenue if voters approve.
City officials have also said the vote covers funding only and is not approval of the arena. If the measure fails, the city would need to revisit how it finances the project.
Property Taxes Still Matter, Through Rising Values
The venue taxes are one of three funding sources. The other two are a tax increment reinvestment zone that covers the site and a special project zone the city is pursuing with the state. Plano created the TIRZ, which covers nearly 900 acres, in June.
A TIRZ doesn't set a new rate. Tax revenue from the zone's 2026 base value keeps flowing to the city's general fund. Revenue from growth above that base goes to projects inside the zone. A city official told Community Impact the zone does not change residents' current property tax rate. The signed June letter of intent plans for 100% of the property and sales tax increment generated in the zone to repay arena bonds. The city's total contribution would be $700 million, as long as arena costs reach at least $1 billion.
Plano ISD has also signed on. On Oct. 12, the City Council approved an agreement allowing the district to contribute 50% of its maintenance and operations tax increment from the zone, capped at $250 million. Under state school finance law, that contribution is offset by a recapture adjustment.
For a homeowner, this means the arena is paid for partly by the zone's property values going up over time, not by a higher rate. Plano kept its city rate at $0.4376 per $100 of valuation for FY2026-27, Community Impact reported after the Sept. 14 vote. A household's bill still depends on its appraisal, as it always has. Arena financing just counts on those values growing. This is general information, not tax, legal or financial advice. Confirm how any of this applies to a specific property with a qualified professional.
The Clause That Leaves Road Costs Unassigned
Under the letter of intent, Dallas Sports & Entertainment LP, the team's development entity, covers arena costs above the city's contribution, cost overruns included, subject to exceptions spelled out in the final agreements. The section on roads and parking is different. The parties agree to write a Transportation, Parking, and Event Plan that will spell out who does what, including:
"reasonable and customary off-site improvements and public right of way improvements, and which improvements shall not be DSE's obligations"
That text comes from the signed June 8 letter of intent. The letter is nonbinding, and its final terms will be set in later agreements.
The city's Oct. 2 mobility memo gives a sense of how large those off-site improvements could be. It studied 33 intersections in the area bounded by Preston Road, Parker Road, the President George Bush Turnpike and Midway Road. Plano treats anything below level of service D as unacceptable on its road network. At four locations, the mitigations the city tested still could not handle the added traffic:
- Park Boulevard at Plano Parkway. Possible fixes include a fourth northbound and fourth eastbound lane, which would require a right-of-way study, or a tunnel on northbound Plano Parkway leading directly into the site.
- Plano Parkway at Dallas Parkway. A fifth northbound lane would help but "will likely require additional right-of-way."
- Park Boulevard at Dallas Parkway. Traffic backs up to the tollway off-ramp. One option is a flyover of about 2,000 feet, and its feasibility has not been reviewed.
- The southbound Park Boulevard off-ramp. Fixes include a new signal, or closing or moving a project driveway.
The memo also says the locations of most of the parking needed at full buildout are unknown. Three existing garages would stay, and the analysis assumed new parking would go mainly on the north and east sides of the site. At a council meeting, members of STOP The Stars Arena PAC, which opposes Proposition A, asked the city about the costs of road improvements, infrastructure, drainage and power, according to FOX 4.
Five Subdivisions Already Named in the City's Memo
The same memo names specific neighborhoods. Glen Meadows and Wyndham Hill are closest to the site, and on-street parking is allowed on most of their streets. East of the tollway, Willow Bend West V, Willow Bend North & West and Pebble Brook at Willow Bend could see cut-through traffic or drivers looking for parking. The memo adds that the last two are probably too far away for a walk to the arena. It says these and other neighborhoods will get a closer look in the next phase of the work.
Options under consideration for those streets include event-day or permanent "local traffic only" signs, partial street closures on event days, right-in/right-out entrances, time-of-day turn restrictions and access gates. The memo notes that gates would need staffing or technology for residents and their guests. To keep event parking out of neighborhoods, it adds a residential parking permit program, either all day or only during events. Vehicles without registered plates or hang tags would be fined.
Each of these changes would affect daily life on those streets well beyond game nights. Guests would need hang tags, a familiar left turn might be gone, and a gate could carry its own upkeep costs. All of it is still at the proposal stage. Residents named to the Willow Bend Redevelopment Advisory Committee represent HOAs in 10 Plano neighborhoods, FOX 4 reported, though the station did not list which ones.
Much of the Project Is Still Undecided
As of Oct. 18, seat count, square footage and the retail and restaurant mix were all still undecided, the Dallas Morning News reported. City Manager Mark Israelson said he wished the project were further along. The 18,000 to 22,000 seats used in the traffic model are a modeling assumption, not a confirmed capacity.
The overall plan is about $3 billion, with roughly $1 billion for the arena and $2 billion for the surrounding mixed-use district. Demolition was expected to start in early 2027. Centennial's CEO told Community Impact there was "a good shot" the arena could be ready by 2031, when the Stars' lease at American Airlines Center expires.
Public opinion has been split. Mayor John Muns has said the project could benefit the community and improve Plano's long-term quality of life, KERA reported. Residents quoted by Community Impact in July raised concerns about traffic, the environment and transparency. At the June 8 council meeting, 10 of the 12 residents who spoke opposed the arena, according to Community Impact's June report, citing traffic, noise, safety and the chance of a vacant arena later on.
That means a home bought near Willow Bend this fall comes with open questions that will take years to settle, whatever the Nov. 3 result. The useful step is finding out which of those questions apply to a particular address.
What to Check Before an Offer Near Willow Bend
- Find the street in the Oct. 2 memo. See whether it sits in Glen Meadows, Wyndham Hill or one of the three subdivisions east of the tollway, and whether the street currently allows on-street parking.
- Map the home's route to Park Boulevard, Plano Parkway and Dallas Parkway. Those are the intersections where the memo lists added lanes, right-of-way needs, a tunnel or a flyover as options.
- Read the city's Willow Bend District FAQ and follow the Transportation, Parking, and Event Plan as it is drafted. That plan is where permit parking and neighborhood protections would be decided.
- Look at the city's Neighborhood Traffic Management Program. The memo points to it for traffic-calming tools such as speed cushions and chicanes.
- Ask the HOA whether it has a seat on the advisory committee and what the board has said so far.
A Few Questions Buyers Raise
Does Proposition A raise my property tax rate? No. The five taxes apply to car rentals, hotel stays, tickets, event parking and visiting players. The TIRZ leaves the rate alone and directs future growth in tax revenue from the zone to the project.
Would a "no" vote stop the arena? City officials say the ballot covers financing only. If it fails, the city would have to revisit how to pay for the project.
When will event-day parking rules be known? Not until the Transportation, Parking, and Event Plan and the final agreements are written. The memo says the named neighborhoods will be studied more closely in the next phase of work.
If you're considering a home within a few minutes of Willow Bend, or thinking about selling one before these plans firm up, Brian Abadie can go through the city's traffic memo with you street by street and help build those open questions into your price and timing. Work With Brian.
