Red Wings: Renew lease with Joe Louis Arena vs. Build new Arena (Detroit: buying, prices)

[Bluefly]

Just so long as they don't make the stupid mistake of moving to the suburbs.

People across the country have finally started realizing that stadiums can serve as significant economic engines in urban centers. Just look at what the Verizon Center did for downtown DC. It was put right on top of transit in a downtown neighborhood so it would be most accessible to all.

In contrast, just as everybody was moving sports stadiums back to downtowns the Redskins' put up Fed Ex Field in the middle of nowhere suburbia and it was a disaster.

Let's just hope the Pistons eventually get out of the Palace mistake and head downtown as well. Detroit's finally starting to get a center to itself. I doubt the Ilitches would move out of the city. They are committed to Detroit, unlike most people in the area.

[Wingnatic]

It's a pretty well know fact that Mike Illitch would like to build a new arena in the area behind the Fox Theatre/Hockeytown Cafe , and has been buying property in that area for some time now . Just recently , the lease for the Joe ran out and a new 20 year lease would automatically take effect , but Mr. I declined a long term lease and possibly signed something shorter . To me in my opinion tells me what his intentions are . I think parking for the Joe is not good , as are those steps getting inside the Joe . Maybe when the Wings move , the Pistons could move in ?

[GalFriday]

Why is it a stupid mistake to move out to the suburbs? After all, it is those suburbanites who are paying the money to see the Wings play, not Detroiters. It is the suburbanites who drive to Detroit for the Tigers, and even for the crappy Lions. Why not start catering to the people who make it possible to have teams around?

I like the idea of using the Silverdome grounds for a new arena. Just like the Palace, it's easily accessible from the highway, and it is convenient for all of the attendees. The money is here, the land is here, the fans are here.

[Tyryztoll]

Originally Posted by GalFriday

Why is it a stupid mistake to move out to the suburbs? After all, it is those suburbanites who are paying the money to see the Wings play, not Detroiters. It is the suburbanites who drive to Detroit for the Tigers, and even for the crappy Lions. Why not start catering to the people who make it possible to have teams around?

I like the idea of using the Silverdome grounds for a new arena. Just like the Palace, it's easily accessible from the highway, and it is convenient for all of the attendees. The money is here, the land is here, the fans are here.

First of all, Pontiac is just as big a hellhole as Detroit is, and no one wants to go there for anything anymore.

And second.....it is NOT a convenient location for the entire metro area. It is for you, because you live in Oakland County, but what about fans in Ann Arbor, Wyandotte, Grosse Pointe, and yes, even Detroit itself? Getting to the Pontiac region from those places BLOWS, especially at rush hour. Not gonna happen. The new arena will be downtown.

[MTUCache]

Having seen at least a dozen different site plans for something on the Silverdome site in my line of work, and seeing all of them get flushed down the toilet, I can pretty much safely assume that the Wings will not be moving to Potiac. I don't think they should either.

Obviously Ilitch, Ilitch Holdings, and the Ilitch family are heavily invested in Detroit. He may not get along with the powers-that-be in the city, but there's very little chance that he'd turn his back on something that he's embraced all these years.

Let the lease lapse. Build new behind the Fox. As crazy as it sounds to be spending money in Detroit right now, this is one "investment" that could actually bring returns to the city. The Joe is most definitely too outdated for a team that has defined the NHL for the last 20 years.

As for the Joe/Cobo... let that place rot. Once the auto-show moves out to the suburbs (and promptly folds), neither of those places will have a reason to exist. All the bleeding heart nostalgics need something new to whine about now that Tiger Stadium is finally gone. At the rate we're going it'll be 2030 before they finally get around to demo-ing the place, and another thirty years after that before someone decides to invest in that "prime" real estate. Plenty of time to file all the injuctions needed to try and save pieces of it, auction off the tiny seats and huge urinals, and get the city to preserve it as a historic site so that generations of future Detroiters can skate there.

[Jwo85]

Originally Posted by GalFriday

Why is it a stupid mistake to move out to the suburbs? After all, it is those suburbanites who are paying the money to see the Wings play, not Detroiters. It is the suburbanites who drive to Detroit for the Tigers, and even for the crappy Lions. Why not start catering to the people who make it possible to have teams around?

I like the idea of using the Silverdome grounds for a new arena. Just like the Palace, it's easily accessible from the highway, and it is convenient for all of the attendees. The money is here, the land is here, the fans are here.

Traffic is a nightmare around there just a couple hours before game time, there is no walkable downtown area around the venue which does not create a fun atmosphere before and after the games. This goes with any other suburb area since they are not very dense areas.

[dkf747]

Originally Posted by GalFriday

Why is it a stupid mistake to move out to the suburbs? After all, it is those suburbanites who are paying the money to see the Wings play, not Detroiters. It is the suburbanites who drive to Detroit for the Tigers, and even for the crappy Lions. Why not start catering to the people who make it possible to have teams around?

I like the idea of using the Silverdome grounds for a new arena. Just like the Palace, it's easily accessible from the highway, and it is convenient for all of the attendees. The money is here, the land is here, the fans are here.

Something like Southfield might work, but not Pontiac. That is just too far away for many. I favor keeping them in the city, either at Foxtown or at a renovated JLA. Some, on another site, want it where the old Tiger Stadium used to be. That I don't know about.

[Osito57]

Originally Posted by Bluefly

In contrast, just as everybody was moving sports stadiums back to downtowns the Redskins' put up Fed Ex Field in the middle of nowhere suburbia and it was a disaster.

Let's just hope the Pistons eventually get out of the Palace mistake and head downtown as well. Detroit's finally starting to get a center to itself. I doubt the Ilitches would move out of the city. They are committed to Detroit, unlike most people in the area.

Ummm, FedEx Field is the second most profitable NFL stadium. How is it a "stupid mistake"?

And the Palace is the most profitable arena in the nation. It couldn't be more successful. Compare to downtown's JLA, which has no demand for events.

If anything, one could argue that JLA is a mistake.

[DCgoblue]

Originally Posted by Osito57

Ummm, FedEx Field is the second most profitable NFL stadium. How is it a "stupid mistake"?

FedEx Field is probably so profitable because of the outrageous ticket prices that diehard Redskins fans pay to sit in a terrible stadium and watch a bad team. There is nothing around the stadium and traffic is terrible. It is 1000 times better to go down to DC and see a Caps game after going out to dinner at a nice resturaunt or driving up to Baltimore and seeing a Raven's game then being about to walk to the bars. I also enjoy going to Detroit, getting a burger and beer, then walking over to Comerica or Ford Field (haven't been there for a Lions game otherwise i might have enjoyed it less).

For the sake of all fans, I hope no team ever follows the FedEx Field model ever again.

[GalFriday]

Originally Posted by Northman

First of all, Pontiac is just as big a hellhole as Detroit is, and no one wants to go there for anything anymore.

And second.....it is NOT a convenient location for the entire metro area. It is for you, because you live in Oakland County, but what about fans in Ann Arbor, Wyandotte, Grosse Pointe, and yes, even Detroit itself? Getting to the Pontiac region from those places BLOWS, especially at rush hour. Not gonna happen. The new arena will be downtown.

The difference between Pontiac and Detroit is that Pontiac could change. Detroit won't. And the "what about the fans in..." argument just doesn't fly. What about fans in Flint who have to drive all the way down to Detroit? What about the fans in Lansing, or Jackson, or Kalamazoo, or Houghton?

If we want to play fair, let's move everything to Lansing, our capital. And let's start with the State Fair. (Yeah, that's a whole other can of worms I'm willing to open.)

fine - don't put in at the Silverdome. Put it in Macomb County. Put it over by Brighton where all the sprawl has been going. Just put it where the fan base is. It's a disaster to drive to Detroit. I know. I hated every day I drove there to work.