Dallas has selected the former Valley View Mall site for its proposed new arena district and CEO Rick Welts is already outlining a project that goes far beyond basketball.
On June 1, the Dallas Mavericks announced they had entered into option agreements for the potential purchase of 104 acres at the former Valley View Mall site in North Dallas, ending months of speculation about whether the franchise would stay in Dallas or pursue a relocation. The announcement confirmed the Mavericks’ commitment to remaining within the city limits when their lease at American Airlines Center expires in 2031.
Two weeks later, Mavericks CEO Rick Welts provided the first real update on where the project stands, speaking with Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com at Monday’s Sports Power Brokers celebration.
The site sits just north of LBJ Freeway, with Preston Road as the primary crossroad and the Dallas North Tollway nearby to the west. Welts described it as a blank canvas and the scope of what the Mavericks are planning goes well beyond an arena.
“We’re talking about arena, hotel, headquarters, practice facility, an entertainment district, restaurants, retail and there will be a housing component,” Welts said. “Hopefully other entertainment components. It’s just great to have the opportunity with a blank canvas to build something we think is going to last for decades here in Dallas.”
Before any of that becomes reality, several logistical hurdles need clearing. Zoning approval from the Dallas City Council is required before the site becomes officially available. Architectural bids are being evaluate and Welts confirmed the team is deep in that process. Artist renderings are not ready yet, but the direction has been set. The arena will represent Texas as much as possible.
The biggest infrastructure challenge on any project of this scale is traffic and Welts acknowledged it directly.
“The No. 1 concern is traffic and making sure the traffic plan works,” he said. “We’re deep into that right now and we have to present a plan that works for everybody.”
The Mavericks have benefited from a DART train line running directly alongside American Airlines Center for more than two decades. Replicating or improving that accessibility at Valley View will be central to making the new district functional on game nights.
One lighter moment from Monday came courtesy of Dirk Nowitzki, who confirmed to Sefko that his statue outside American Airlines Center is movable when the time comes.
“It might be more portable than me at this point,” Nowitzki said.
Nowitzki added that he has not had much discussion with the new leadership about the transition but took the news in stride.
The building is scheduled for completion in 2031, the same year the lease at American Airlines Center expires. The Dallas Stars are moving to a new home in Plano around the same timeline, ending more than two decades of shared tenancy between the two franchises.
The shovels are not in the ground yet and nothing is official. ... as controversy surrounds the planned exit from downtown.
But the process has started, the site is selected and the vision is clear. For a franchise trying to build something around Cooper Flagg that lasts for decades, the arena project and the basketball rebuild are moving in the same direction at the same time.
