Red Wings Unveil New Arena Plans

[sherbert1421]

The new hockey arena at the heart of the Ilitch family’s sports and entertainment district could become a trend-setter for arena design nationwide.

The still-unnamed arena, slated to open in 2017, will be innovative in several key ways:

■ Deconstructed design: Most arenas are built as a big box with the playing surface and seating ringed by concourses, concession stands, team offices and restaurants. But the new arena will be “deconstructed” with the outer-ring functions moved into structures just set off or pulled away from the core inner playing surface and seats. They won’t be separate buildings, but linked by a first-ever interior streetscape.

■ Glass covered streetscape: The area between the seating bowl and the outer buildings will be covered by glass to create a “covered via,” or interior streetscape, filled with trees, retail, dining and other amenities. Bridges and walkways will connect the outer buildings to the seating bowl through this covered interior street.

Christopher Ilitch, president and CEO of Ilitch Holdings, said the covered via will be open year-round, not just on game or event days, and could play host to a variety of daytime or nighttime events. Like any good urban street, it will be designed to be walkable, with flexible programming, and to be “a very festive area. ... The net effect is a very energetic, very exciting space,” Ilitch said.

■ Lighted roof design: The roof of the arena will be fashioned with the most modern programmable lighting so that different images can be produced for a given event. In the rendering provided by Olympia Development, the roof shows the Red Wings logo as it will on hockey nights. But the roof could be green for St. Patrick’s Day or something else for a concert by Kid Rock or Eminem, Ilitch said. He described the desired effect as “classy, not gaudy.”

■ Playing surface: The playing surface will be set about 32 feet below ground level to lower the profile of the building, producing a more human-scale environment in the district where most buildings will rise just two to four stories. That follows the practice at Comerica Park and Ford Field, where the playing surfaces were set below ground level.

Designed by Detroit: New arena could inspire architectural trend | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

 

[Harry Crack]

Please forward to Calgary for immediate copying

 

[awaz]

Ya that looks pretty awesome.

 

[Cobiemonster]

Agreed, looks great - hopefully it will revitalize Detroit because they really need it

 

[pixburgher66]

Sorry Wings fans, the way this is being paid for is not okay. Over 50% public funded by a bankrupt city. A lot of teams ask their respective city to pay for some of the building costs...usually the trade off is the city getting some form of revenue sharing, etc. Actually this deal is *worse* for the city of Detroit in that the city itself will not be getting any of the arena's revenue. I've liked Illitch generally, but this is a shitty move. Owners do this a lot...Mario did it to Pittsburgh as a power move, etc. It happens. But the details and circumstances surrounding this make it a horrible idea.

 

[pixburgher66]

Red Wings Generously Agree To Accept Huge Sums Of Money From Public

Details about some of the scheming.

 

[Cobiemonster]

Red Wings Generously Agree To Accept Huge Sums Of Money From Public

Details about some of the scheming.

Olympia, Ilitch's $2 billion empire, says the development will create 8,300 short-term construction jobs and 1,100 permanent positions. But when City Council approved the land transfer of 39 parcels (for $1!) in February, Council President Brenda Jones, along with two others, voted nay because Olympia balked at guaranteeing a specific percentage of post-construction jobs to actual residents of Detroit.

Not only is the city footing a good portion of the bill for construction (and possibly getting dicked out of jobs for residents), they're going to lose revenue when the Wings move into the new arena. Under Olympia's current deal with the city for Joe Louis, where the Wings have played since 1979, the city receives roughly $7 million annually in revenue from suite sales (7 percent), food and beverage concessions (10 percent), souvenir sales (5 percent), and ticket proceeds (10 percent). But under the new arena deal, they won't have to share any of the revenues with the city. And Olympia will get all the fees from naming rights, which can rack up millions annually.

They've talked about building stuff around the arena as well(like restaurants, etc) which would help things but if this how they're going to do this, this will be crap

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Red Wings Generously Agree To Accept Huge Sums Of Money From Public

Details about some of the scheming.

I have no idea why governments keep paying ridiculous amounts of public money for stadiums for rich people and their play things, but for a city like Detroit to be spending this kind of money when their city is literally in bankruptcy is fucking beyond stupid.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

But the roof could be green for St. Patrick’s Day or something else for a concert by Kid Rock or Eminem, Ilitch said. He described the desired effect as “classy, not gaudy.”

Yep, Kid Rock and Eminem just exude class.

 

[beantownmaniac]

Sounds like the tax payer is really getting screwed in this deal. Maybe they should name the arena "the Dick"

 

[forty_three]

I have no idea why governments keep paying ridiculous amounts of public money for stadiums for rich people and their play things, but for a city like Detroit to be spending this kind of money when their city is literally in bankruptcy is fucking beyond stupid.

In any arena built in the last 30 years, you can say "there are many other things that they could have used that money for" and be correct.

But it just seems exceptionally true in Detroit's case. I think it's in terribly poor taste by Illitch. It shows a lack of respect for the struggles of the city.



However, that design looks awesome.

 

[pixburgher66]

They've talked about building stuff around the arena as well(like restaurants, etc) which would help things but if this how they're going to do this, this will be crap

"Development in the District will be integrated with existing sports and entertainment venues in or adjacent to the space, including the Fox Theatre, Comerica Park, MotorCity Casino Hotel, Ford Field, the Detroit Opera House, the Fillmore Detroit and more."

Existing venues. That's also an issue here. I remember last year when this stuff was starting to come about, and Detroit-ians mentioned this. It's *not* adding an extra area of revenue and life to a city, it's actually moving to one that already exists. So, economically speaking, they're shrinking the area they can reach.

Attached a picture there. Moving a mile away isn't a huge deal, but it probably means the area they leave will be crippled a bit, while the new area likely only grows a bit because it's already established. There was a way they could go about this to help the city grow...and instead they're taking $260M from a bankrupt town where people's dang water is being shut off. Disgusting.

 

[elocomotive]

Looks like a beautiful arena. I'm still curious how the "outside" vendors work if they are open to people not at the game but what you have to use at the arena, but it looks really cool.

Also, agree that the city of Detroit is getting hosed in this and they are the last city that can afford to get hosed right now.

 

[pixburgher66]

Didn't we have a thread on this last year? I'm searching but can't find squat. Dangit.

 

[elocomotive]

In any arena built in the last 30 years, you can say "there are many other things that they could have used that money for" and be correct.

Yeah, but not all those arenas were built with public money - I know in DC the Verizon Center and FedEx Field were both built with public funds.

The baseball stadium was not and was built with public funds and DC owns it and charges rent, gets some money from the Nats, and there is an extra tax on food/merch in the stadium to help cover costs. It was still a hose job however since DC is recouping only about $35-50 million/year (of the nearly $700 million cost) while paying more than $20 million in interest each year since most of the money was borrowed. With more than $400 million in surplus last year and likely more on the way, the city would be smart to pay off that loan and in 20+ years could break even on the venture.

 

[forty_three]

Didn't we have a thread on this last year? I'm searching but can't find squat. Dangit.

I don't think it was it's own thread, but I do remember criticizing little Caesar for it when it was first announced.

 

[elocomotive]

I don't think it was it's own thread, but I do remember criticizing little Caesar for it when it was first announced.

The pizza company?

 

[forty_three]

Yeah, but not all those arenas were built with public money - I know in DC the Verizon Center and FedEx Field were both built with public funds.

The baseball stadium was not and was built with public funds and DC owns it and charges rent, gets some money from the Nats, and there is an extra tax on food/merch in the stadium to help cover costs. It was still a hose job however since DC is recouping only about $35-50 million/year (of the nearly $700 million cost) while paying more than $20 million in interest each year since most of the money was borrowed. With more than $400 million in surplus last year and likely more on the way, the city would be smart to pay off that loan and in 20+ years could break even on the venture.

Kind of the same deal here, Nationwide built the arena "out of the goodness of their heart" (never mind that they owned every scrap of land for 2 square miles and the "Arena District" was born), and after around 8 years the team claimed they were "losing money" by not getting anything for naming rights (Nationwide owned it, they put their name on it). So the taxpayers "bought" the arena, meaning the city bought it from Nationwide. Now the city gets the money for concessions, the team gets naming money and the people get...

A 35 year lease. Fortunately no net increase in taxes (yet) because of a fortunate surplus.

But light rail and improved public transport could be had for that money.

 

[pixburgher66]

You guys are illustrating the big distinction really...there was tangible reason for those cities to pay. They were promised actual funds. They owned the buildings in a few cases. Detroit gets nothing but the promise of economic growth. No actual tangible funds. I can't get over a billionaire doing that.

Detroit residents fight back over water shutoff: 'It's a life-or-death situation' | World news | theguardian.com

They can't afford to pay their water bills. Thousands of residents of this city...can't pay their water bills.

 

[forty_three]

The pizza company?

I think the words "Little Caesar" describe him better than it describes the pizza.