The news came in today about some details and pre-renders concerning the new Red Wings arena, and I, as well as a lot of my friends, are very excited about what this entails for the NHL club, the MLB Tigers and the NFL Lions, as well as the city of Detroit in general. Plans are for a complete redevelopment of a 40-plus block stretch of land in the area surrounding the Fisher Freeway (I-75) and Woodward Ave intersection, plus an additional 200 MM dollar investment in the infrastructure and housing sectors that goes above and beyond what the Ilitches previously agreed to invest in the area, as well as pushing the timeline forward by several years to get the area redeveloped. This is HUGE, and this only reaffirms the belief that Mike and Marian Ilitch and their children truly care about the city of Detroit.
I was working the second of two games on Saturday, the 19th of July when a fan and I started talking about the future of the Tigers. He believed that Detroit would pick up Troy Tulowitzki from Colorado and Miguel Montero from Arizona, and that in a few years, the Ilitches would sell the team. I scoffed at the notion, telling him that A) the money and prospects just weren't there for the trades and B) the Ilitches aren't going to sell the team. They're invested in the NHL, the MLB and Detroit, and they practically run the city. This is a great situation for them, and they're ready to repay the boons they've been given by the citizens. This new arena is just the start.
