The remainder of the cost will be paid through a long-term lease signed with Hicks Sports Marketing Group, owner of the Dallas Stars Hockey Team. The lease requires the Dallas-based company to pay $40,000 in rent per month for the first five years the center is open and $45,000 a month for the next 15 years. Hicks will operate the facility and use it for activities related to its Dallas Stars Hockey Club division. A minimum of 174 hours a month will be set aside for public use.

The complex will include two 1,700-sf ice rinks, eight locker rooms and a professional hockey teaching center. The project is slated to be built on a 7.3-acre site near Stacy Road and Highway 121 in Craig Ranch, a 2,500-acre master-planned community being developed by McKinney-based Craig International. The ranch has about 6,500 residents and is planned for a future population of 50,000.

The overall development has a strong athletic focus. The Cooper Aerobics Center at Craig Ranch, a 76,000-sf "wellness" facility created by health and fitness expert Dr. Kenneth Cooper, is across the street from the StarCenter site, and the company plans to locate the Michael Johnson Performance Training Center on eight acres adjoining the new project. The $20 million center will feature an eight-lane, 400-meter rubberized outdoor track stadium with a natural grass infield. The ranch also has a 75-acre baseball and softball tournament facility and a multi-field soccer complex.