What is going on at Red Wings arena site?

[EL Jimbo]

Yeah, but if the design element is "no buildings allowed nearby", DHS should be laughed out of the room. And, honestly, who cares what they recommend? Have we been suffering a string of stadium-related safety crises or terrorist attacks? If Washington DC has a hockey/basketball arena [[Verizon Center) totally surrounded by other buildings with no "buffer" at all, I bet Detroit can manage to do whatever works for Detroit.

I fail to see the relevance of your argument. Construction of the Verizon Center [[then known as the MCI Center) broke ground 7 years before the Department of Homeland Security even existed and 6 years before 9/11. I'm sure DHS has issues with the Verizon Center's design from a security perspective, but they also realize that the adjacent property is likely owned by other entities than those that own the arena so their ability to change them is limited.

However, in the case of a brand new construction where the arena owner also owns the adjacent property in question, DHS can and does become more insistent in having their security concerns addressed in the design.

Also, don't forget that the new Wings Arena is a different concept with an open air concourse. In theory, a lone gunman or someone with an RPG in one of the top floors could wreak havoc on a crowded concourse during an intermission before police could get up to him.