The Dallas Mavericks’ plan to leave downtown Dallas and relocate to North Dallas is raising concerns among business owners in the Victory Park area who rely on game-day crowds, even as city leaders say the move could create new opportunities for long-term growth in the city center. The NBA team is looking to purchase 104 acres where the former Valley View Mall once stood for a new arena complex.
The announcement has prompted questions about what downtown Dallas will look like after both the Mavericks and the Dallas Stars leave the American Airlines Center. The Stars have separately announced plans to move to a new arena in Plano’s Willow Bend area, leaving the Victory Park neighborhood without its two primary sports tenants within the coming years.
For businesses near the American Airlines Center, the news is unsettling. Roti Grill, located near the arena, has benefited from Mavericks home games for years. “When we have the games, it’s a win for us. And I don’t just think about us, I think everybody on the block,” said Angel Perez, an employee at the restaurant. “I got a little concerned because we’re really kind of slow as it is. I don’t know if we’re gonna be still having a job after it gets slower.”
According to NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, Dallas City Council member Adam Bazaldua said the team’s decision reflects a broader vision for the city’s future. “The Mavs made a very smart business decision, and it’s one that overall will be a positive attribute to the future of the city of Dallas,” Bazaldua said.
Despite concerns from some business owners, Bazaldua said downtown’s future should not depend solely on professional sports. “We need to be focusing on our city center being another one of our many unique, amazing neighborhoods of our city, which means we need to promote more residential growth here in downtown Dallas,” he said. Increasing the number of residents in downtown Dallas could help create a more sustainable customer base for businesses, he added.
“We need to give those businesses a higher demand, more sustainable business model because we’ve put more people that are living here, walking here, playing here, and it’s not dependent on a sports team schedule,” Bazaldua said.
According to the latest Downtown Dallas Inc. market data, downtown is home to more than 200 places to eat and drink and 70 retail shops. Nearly 16,000 people live downtown, and more people were working in downtown offices last year. The area has seen significant residential development in recent years, with new apartment towers and mixed-use developments adding to the neighborhood’s population base.
The Mavericks’ planned move to the Valley View site represents a major development in North Dallas. The 104-acre property, where the mall was demolished in recent years, offers ample space for a new arena and surrounding development, including retail, residential, and office components. The team’s move follows a broader trend of sports franchises seeking larger, more modern facilities with mixed-use development potential, similar to the Los Angeles Rams’ SoFi Stadium complex or the Milwaukee Bucks’ Deer District.
For the Victory Park neighborhood, the departure of the Mavericks and Stars will leave a significant gap in event-driven traffic. The American Airlines Center, which opened in 2001, has been the anchor of the Victory Park development, attracting fans to restaurants, bars, and retail establishments in the surrounding area for more than two decades. The arena will continue to host concerts and other events after the teams depart, but the loss of 41-plus regular season home games for each team will reduce foot traffic substantially.
The situation echoes challenges faced by other cities when sports teams depart established neighborhoods. In Atlanta, the move of the Braves from Turner Field to Truist Park in Cobb County in 2017 left the surrounding Summerhill neighborhood without its primary economic driver, though the area has since seen redevelopment. In Dallas, city officials are working to ensure that Victory Park can transition to a more residential-focused neighborhood that does not rely exclusively on game-day traffic.
“The only thing we have to do is just keep the customers happy,” Perez said, expressing a sentiment shared by many business owners in the area. While many questions remain unanswered, businesses around Victory Park still have several years before the Mavericks officially leave downtown Dallas and are focused on making the most of the time they have left.
The planned moves by both the Mavericks and Stars to suburban locations in the northern Dallas-Fort Worth corridor reflect the broader population and economic shift toward Collin County and Denton County. As corporate headquarters, residential developments, and now sports franchises move north, the city of Dallas faces the challenge of ensuring that its downtown core remains vibrant and economically viable without the anchor of professional sports.
The American Airlines Center, which cost approximately $420 million to build when it opened in 2001, will not become obsolete overnight. The arena will continue to host concerts, family shows, and other events, and it remains one of the premier entertainment venues in the Southwest. However, the loss of 82-plus regular season home games between the Mavericks and Stars will significantly reduce the number of high-traffic evenings that drive business to surrounding establishments.
City officials and downtown development organizations are already exploring potential reuses for the Victory Park area. Options include attracting a minor league sports franchise, converting portions of the arena for entertainment and convention use, or redeveloping the surrounding area with a greater emphasis on residential and office space. The victory Park Master Plan, originally developed in the late 1990s, always envisioned a broader mix of uses beyond sports and entertainment, and the departure of the teams could accelerate the neighborhood’s evolution toward a more balanced urban district.
For the broader Dallas commercial real estate market, the Mavericks’ move highlights the ongoing tension between downtown and suburban development. While downtown Dallas has made significant strides in recent years, with new residential towers, restaurants, and cultural attractions, the suburban corridors particularly along the Dallas North Tollway, continue to attract major developments. The planned Mavericks arena complex at the Valley View site, with its potential for mixed-use development, could accelerate the transformation of that area from a traditional retail destination to a modern urban center.
