Dallas Stars Hockey Team Will Bring $55 Million Youth Sports Facility to Denton County’s Northlake
Share News:
Staff Reports
On your mark, get set. Denton County youth, sharpen your ice skates.
A $55 million multisport youth facility is planned near State Highway 114 and Chadwick Parkway in Northlake, a partnership between the town and the National Hockey League’s Dallas Stars.
The Northlake-owned facility totaling about 225,000 square feet is being developed as part of a 30-year lease agreement with the Dallas Stars in a deal beginning at an annual rent of about $1.6 million with yearly rent escalations backed by the NHL, CoStar News reported in late July.
“The town will own this facility and literally it won’t cost us a penny of taxpayer money,” Mayor David Rettig told CoStar. “This will create a destination in a region with a very active hockey community. It will also have some of the best air conditioning in Texas.”
Making a Deal
Rettig reportedly oversaw the transfer of about 12 acres from Western Securities to the town of Northlake, allowing the town to then lease the land. In addition to two NHL-sized ice rinks for the Dallas Stars-affiliated youth teams to use, plans call for eight basketball courts that can convert into 16 volleyball courts. Rettig told CoStar he expects the town to become a hub for youth sports in the coming years.
Developers may also build up to 900 apartments, restaurants, entertainment space, and 60,000 square feet of retail. A request for qualifications/proposals was issued earlier this year. WRA Architects is the project architect, and Lee Lewis Construction will serve as the general contractor.
“This is hands down the largest economic development project we’ve ever done,” Rettig said in the CoStar report, adding he expects the development cost to be paid back within five years with the lease. “This will create a destination and bring people throughout the region to the town.”
Northlake is in Denton County and had a population of about 5,201 in 2020, according to the U.S. Census.
Dallas Stars Facilities in North Texas
The Dallas Stars have been investing in youth sports facilities in North Texas to reach more athletes. By 2025, the club expects to own or operate 11 youth sports facilities catering to basketball, volleyball — and, of course, hockey, CoStar reports.
“Last year, the Stars began work on its multisport facility in Farmers Branch totaling 81,780 square feet of space with completion scheduled by year’s end,” the article states. “In October 2022, the Stars purchased a roughly 38,000-square-foot multisport facility, which is home to Texas Advantage Volleyball, with four NBA regulation hardwood basketball courts, eight USA Volleyball regulation courts, and a food court area in Lewisville.
Currently, the nine Stars’ existing facilities in the region have more than 80,000 participants in its youth and recreational sports leagues, the team said. The facilities bring in about 8.5 million visitors annually.
