Plano mayor discusses future of Dallas Stars arena project

Plano's mayor made his first comments about the state of the new Stars Arena project in the city after voters rejected a plan to help pay for it. He says the city is now looking for solutions to see if the project can even continue. Fox 4's David Centendri has more on those statements, plus reaction from the people lobbying to stop the arena plan. David. Well, there was a bit of uncertainty in the mayor's words just over a week after voters said no to some crucial tax funding. At a groundbreaking event at AT&T's new headquarters in Plano Thursday morning, Mayor John Munns was asked by reporters about the voter rejection of the city's plan to help pay for a new Dallas Stars Arena. We're disappointed in the results of the election. We're working now to see, you know, what avenues we have. Mayor Munz uncertain when asked for his level of confidence in the stars moving to Plano. You know, I don't know. It's not for me to say, but we'll obviously give them many avenues and options that could work. And we'll see what they have to say. It seemed like he wasn't as sure as he's always presented in the past. David Romick, an opponent of the Stars' relocation plans to Plano. He's a part of Stop the Stars Arena Political Action Committee. The group believes the arena and surrounding development would not fit Plano's suburban atmosphere. Traffic is certainly a big part of it. Corporate welfare is a big part of it. On election day, a majority of Plano voters rejected a visitor tax, which would have been applied to things like hotels and car rentals. It would have allowed the city to generate roughly $1 billion in revenue, $700 million of that going to the arena project. People were not only voting down the venue taxes, but were voting down the project as a whole. So you think they just don't want the arena to be in Plano? I am sure they don't want the arena in Plano. Some Dallas City Council members are pushing to keep the Stars in Dallas, but the Stars have said it's still committed to the Plano move. We're working really diligently to come up with some solutions that may work and at the same time we'll just see What the stars and developer think and hopefully we can come up with a solution and find a way that we can continue the project. The stars have said they expect a new arena to be complete here at Willow Bend by 2031. That's when the lease of the American Airlines Center, their contract, ends with the Dallas Stars. I asked the city of Plano today if they want to add anything to the mayor's comments, but they told me at this point in time they do not have anything to add.