Plano's Willow Bend Redevelopment Advisory Committee is considering different strategies to mitigate traffic for the proposed Dallas Stars arena.
The advisory committee is made up of Plano residents from local homeowners associations in the Willow Bend area, per previous reporting. The committee had various meetings throughout September and October.
What you need to know
Some roadway changes under consideration include:
A new traffic signal along Chapel Hill Boulevard
A new driveway along Dallas Parkway
Three left-turn lanes at Park Boulevard and Dallas Parkway
One additional left-turn lane along International Parkway
Traffic signal removal along Park Boulevard
Conversion of a raised median to paved area for temporary traffic management
Fehr & Peers Principal Agent John Gard said the changes could accommodate additional traffic for the new arena at a Sept. 30 committee meeting. Gard said traffic along the Dallas North Tollway today tends to go straight.
"[The arena] is going to introduce a lot of left-turn traffic," he said. "People are gonna come off Dallas Parkway North, one of the two ramps, then make a left turn to come into this site."
Also of note
Mayor John Muns took part in a panel hosted by the Plano Chamber of Commerce with the Dallas Stars Oct. 22. Muns said the arena is planned to become a space where people can stay beyond attending a sports event.
"We're going to benefit because we're going to have more restaurants and bars that people will want to go to whether there's a game or not," Muns said.
Muns said resident frustration has mainly come from concerns with traffic, while the city has not been able to provide specific answers because the project is still in its development phase.
"To have an entertainment district makes a difference," Muns said. "People want to get there early, they want to maybe stay a little later. At the same time, there are eight entry points at Willow Bend that we're going to expand and improve."
Looking ahead
Muns said the city is working to finalize its agreement with the Stars in late November and demolition at the mall is estimated to start in February. Architecture planning for the arena will be taking place over the next three months.
"All three of us need to make sure we understand each other's responsibilities," he said. "Once we get that going, you're going to see a lot of progress from that point."
