Editor's note: This item was part of our list of the Top 7 Plano stories to watch in 2019. The other stories can be found on our Plano homepage or in our Annual Community Guide print edition. What we reported The Plano City Council approved on Dec. 18 the formation of a new tax increment finance zone to help fund the construction of two new Dallas Area Rapid Transit rail stations in the city. Those stations, one at Shiloh Road and another at 12th Street, will be stops along DART’s future east-west running Cotton Belt line. The DART board of directors on Dec. 11 agreed to an $815 million design-and-build contract for the Cotton Belt. The latest The U.S. Department of Transportation approved on Dec. 21 a $908 million loan to DART for the Cotton Belt project. DART is expected to begin construction on the line this year, and projects it to be operational in 2022.