A creditor is asking for more time to submit a redevelopment plan for the former home of the Detroit Red Wings.
According to Crain's Detroit Business, the city of Detroit and the creditor are looking for an extension in submitting a plan to redevelop the nine-acre site on the Detroit riverfront. A deadline for plan submission was set for January 15, 2020, but an 18-month extension is being requested.
The creditor, Gotham Motown Recovery LLC, had previously asked for more time following a November 2017 deadline to submit a redevelopment proposal. That deadline was agreed to in federal court in October 2014 under terms of a settlement of the city's debts. Detroit had declared bankruptcy and was under an emergency manager at the time of the agreement.
Chuck Raimi, Detroit's deputy corporation counsel, said in an email reprinted by Crain's that the original timeline for redevelopment was "unrealistic".
"The city first had to secure the funding, which included state approvals that didn't take place until last year," said Raimi. "Since that time the DBA [Detroit Building Authority] has moved quickly to move through the various stages of demolition, including asbestos surveys and abatement, with the demolition process now underway. Because of the change in the demolition timeline, we feel that this extension is appropriate and necessary."
The Detroit News has reported that a City Council subcommittee is expected to take up the issue next week, moving it to a full council vote soon after.
The plan agreed to while Detroit was under emergency management, according to Crain's, was to redevelop the area with a new hotel, along with a mix of office, retail, and residential space. Speculation has arisen since then that an expansion of Cobo Center may take the area, along with additional parking.
Demolition is well underway at the building that housed the Red Wings from 1979 until 2017 when the team moved to Little Caesars Arena. The mailing address for the arena remains 19 Steve Yzerman Drive, after the name and number of the Hall-of-Fame player and current general manager of the Wings.
The months-long process involved interior work, but within the past week, giant gaping holes were showing up on the exterior of the building. Two cranes, marked with the names and numbers of Yzerman and Red Wings legend Gordie Howe, have been seen poking at the exterior. The cost of demolition is estimated at $13.2 million US.
The building remains a huge part of hockey folklore for fans on both sides of the border. During their time at "The Joe", the Red Wings enjoyed a 25-year playoff streak from 1991 to 2016, went to the Stanley Cup Finals six times during that timeframe, and won it in 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008. The arena had also hosted college hockey, basketball, arena football, concerts, religious gatherings, as well as the 1980 Republican National Convention and the public lying-in-state for Gordie Howe.