The city of McKinney and its community development corporation are paying $12 million to bring a Dr Pepper StarCenter to town, complete with a world-class track and track training facility.

FILE 2006/Staff photo

The Dr Pepper StarCenter in Frisco is among the ice rinks across the Dallas-Fort Worth area that families have flocked to in recent years. McKinney's StarCenter, to be built in the Craig Ranch development, is expected to open in August 2009.

The center would be the latest ice rink to be built in Dallas-area suburbs, including rinks in neighboring Frisco and Plano. And the move comes despite concerns from some residents about whether the city should be spending tax dollars on an ice rink.

But McKinney officials have shrugged off those concerns, saying the city is making a concentrated effort to expand its recreational offerings.

Officials also believe the StarCenter, which would be built in the Craig Ranch development and open in August 2009, would meet a critical need. As other cities built ice rinks in the last decade, McKinney officials have felt pressure to deliver entertainment venues of their own.

"We are trying to focus on some quality-of-life venues because that hasn't been the focus in the past," said City Council member Brian Loughmiller, who helped negotiate the deal. "We've done a lot with infrastructure and things with police and fire in years past, but not so much with parks and [recreation]."

McKinney is not the first city to offer incentives to lure the ice rink. In years past, Farmers Branch and Frisco also offered lucrative packages to have StarCenters built in those communities.

At a council meeting this week, more than a dozen residents spoke, only a few of whom voiced opposition to the project. Others talked about the city's need for other facilities, including a natatorium.

Several parents also told council members this week that they are tired of driving to other cities, especially because of rising gas prices. Other residents told council members that McKinney had fallen behind or passed up previous opportunities.

David Craig, developer of Craig Ranch in far southwest McKinney, said he understands the concerns.

"As a city, we're behind the eight-ball in comparison to other cities," he said. "If that's where our citizens want tax dollars to be spent, that's where we should put them."

The city will issue $6.5 million in bonds for the ice rink, while the city's community development corporation, which receives about $9 million a year in sales tax revenue, will put in $5.5 million. The StarCenter will repay the city's portion through monthly rent over 20 to 25 years.

The city is getting the land on which the center sits without paying anything up front. Although the land has been given a reduced value of $1.5 million, the developers will be paid over 10 years from a portion of property taxes collected within a special zone in Craig Ranch.

Plans for the area include retail and medical facilities as well as homes, officials said.

The timing of the deal also was important, Mr. Loughmiller said. At the Frisco StarCenter, one sheet of ice is being taken out of service as seating capacity there is expanded. With Craig Ranch nearby, McKinney was an attractive option, he said.

City officials have other plans in the works to expand recreational facilities, Mr. Loughmiller said. The city will request proposals from any business wanting to build recreation centers for indoor soccer, tennis, swimming and other activities.

City officials also plan to schedule a public meeting at Gabe Nesbitt Park to ask residents what they want.

"That way," Mr. Loughmiller said, "we'd really move forward."