Town council members in Northlake have approved the $47 million project for a Dallas Stars-branded indoor sports center.
The town’s planning and zoning commission recommended the site plan’s approval at a meeting held on November 19, which the town council approved on December 12. The decision brings the future center one step closer to reality after the town celebrated its groundbreaking earlier this year.
The center is linked to the Dallas Stars initiative to invest in youth sports facilities in North Texas. The club expects to own or operate nearly a dozen youth sports facilities by next year.
Once constructed, the Northlake center will be just over 200,000 square feet. The site is located on 17.4 acres south of SH 114 and west of Chadwick Parkway.
As part of the approval process, the applicant, WRA Artchitects Inc., asked for two variances to the site plan. They requested permission to use an unpaved southwest corner of the development for overflow parking. According to Town Manager Drew Corn, the additional parking space will be assessed on an ongoing basis and used only when necessary.
“It won’t be a free-for-all,” he said, per Community Impact.
WRA was also granted a reduction in the required canopy trees from 44 to 18.
“We are in a very good position here… We also have the largest StarCenter anywhere in Dallas. It’s a great way to start without putting down money,” Northlake mayor Brian Montini said at the December 12 meeting.
While the complex’s construction is slated for September 2025, necessary infrastructure improvements estimated to cost over $17 million will not occur until 2026. The enhancements will include upgrades to area water, sewer, drainage, roadways, sidewalks, and trails.
Of course, the approval was not perfect. The mayor noticed the town’s logo was absent from the site proposal.
“We need that logo somewhere by this entrance,” the mayor said.