A $465M deal which would create side-by-side stadiums for
the Lions and Tigers in downtown Detroit could be announced by
early this week, according to Valarie Basheda of the DETROIT
NEWS. Basheda adds Wayne County officials could vote on a plan
as "early as Thursday" to place a county-wide 2% levy on car
rentals and a 1% tax on hotels on the November ballot in order to
help finance the project. Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer is
scheduled to make a presentation about the stadium plan to city
hotel owners today (DETROIT NEWS, 8/18). SI's Peter King said a
Lions move "is going to make them extremely popular in the
revitalization of that city" ("NFL Preview," CNN, 8/18). Detroit
officials are studying the economic impact of reusing Tiger
Stadium versus its demolition. One idea being considered is to
dump Tiger Stadium into Lake Erie to create an artificial reef
similar to plans being considered for old Cleveland Stadium
(Jeremy Pearce, DETROIT NEWS, 8/18).
REACTION: Columnist Pete Waldmeir predicts the chances of
any stadium tax passing is "50-50 at best." He also cautions
Wayne County commissioners could be "painting themselves into a
tight corner" if they place the taxes on the November ballot
because two other issues (a program to provide legal services to
the poor and another to renew a $1M public safety levy for law
enforcement services) could be placed at risk (DETROIT NEWS,
8/19)
