It’s official: The Dallas Mavericks announced Monday that the team has chosen the former Valley View Mall site over Downtown for its planned arena and entertainment district.
The Mavs say the NBA team has “entered into option agreements for the potential purchase of approximately 104 acres at the former Valley View Mall site.”
“We have appreciated the enthusiasm from the Dallas City Manager, elected officials and the broader community to keep the team in Dallas. We look forward to continuing the collaboration toward that goal. The Valley View site meets most of the criteria established at the outset of our evaluation process. It is our goal to stay in the City of Dallas, and we believe this site provides the strongest opportunity to achieve that goal,” the Mavs’ statement read. “We have the opportunity to create a vibrant mixed-use destination anchored by a state-of-the-art arena, along with restaurants, entertainment options, public green spaces, and family-friendly experiences. Done thoughtfully and with community engagement, a project of this scale will serve as a meaningful economic catalyst for Dallas and its residents. We believe in Dallas, and our priority has been clear from the beginning: keeping the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas.”
The news comes after the Mavs spent a year considering site options. Dallas Mavericks CEO Rick Welts said at a North Dallas Chamber of Commerce event in April that the team’s top choices were a Downtown site widely reported to be where Dallas City Hall currently sits and the site of the former Valley View Mall.
The Dallas Mavericks’ lease at its home since 2001, the American Airlines Center in Downtown Dallas, which it shares with the Stars, ends in 2031.
Scott Beck, whose Beck Ventures owns a majority of the former Valley View Mall site, told our sister publication D Magazine that the company had “the conviction that this site would one day anchor a transformation of our city.”
“Linda Koop and Tennell Atkins had the foresight to structure the Dallas Midtown and Valley View TIF districts as a barbell, inextricably connecting Redbird and Valley View so that a world-class development at one end of the barbell directly benefits the other, possibly unlocking over $100 million in tax increment available to Redbird Mall and its surrounding communities,” Beck told D Magazine. “The Dallas Mavericks are exactly the kind of transformational partner this vision deserves, and we look forward to seeing them build a world-class basketball arena and entertainment neighborhood that becomes the northern anchor of a stronger, more unified Dallas.”
Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert and Mayor Eric Johnson praised the move in a joint statement.
“The Dallas Mavericks’ ownership has informed the City that it has signed an option agreement for 104 acres at the former Valley View Mall site for a potential new arena. We applaud the Dallas Mavericks organization for its continued commitment to our city. We will continue working with the Dallas Mavericks throughout this process and will do everything we can to support the team’s enduring partnership with Dallas,” their statement said.
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