Ilitch announces Huge plans for Red Wings Arena Project - Renderings Released

[emu steve]

I'm completely stunned by what I'm reading.

Instead of cobbling together an arena, a couple parking garages, an office building or two, etc., the Ilitches are trying to design a new city within a not-new, some said 'dead', city.

I'm absolutely stunned. I thought for sure they would say put an 'attractive' parking garage along Henry/Fisher, etc. emphasizing parking convenience over a bold vision of housing and shops. Attractive = a brick façade instead of a cement façade...

The concept of the arena is completely state of the art, not some boring replica of something built 10 - 15 years ago.

As I read the articles, I'm trying to determine what Ilitch can do HIMSELF and not require other investors to invest hundreds of millions of dollars.

The most obvious is the arena, which of course, is his baby. Yet, so much of what he plans is on his land adjacent, connected to, the arena.

Christopher or Mike [[Ilitch) just needs to say the word "go" and it can happen. They build the arena, the walkways, the housing adjacent to the arena, etc.

What I find amazing is that instead of 'concatenating' the arena to Fox Town and Comerica Park, they want to truly integrate Comerica Park, Fox Town, Hockey Town, the arena, etc. instead build an sports and entertaining district which goes 365 days a year, even if there is a 'dark day' for sports or entertainment.

And the grand design is that people should live very close and they will spend time and money in that neighborhood.