The Lions "want millions of dollars or a larger share
of parking fees to rewrite the parking agreement they have"
with the Tigers, sources close to the teams' discussions
tell McGraw & Montemurri of the DETROIT FREE PRESS. The
contract requires the Tigers to pay for acquiring 27 acres
behind team Owner Mike Ilitch's Fox Theatre and convert the
site into 2,500 parking spaces. The Tigers "propose
building parking decks rather than parking lots, which the
Lions prefer for tailgate fans." McGraw & Montemurri write
that deck parking "would benefit the Ilitch family in
several ways," such as freeing up land "to allow the
Atwater/Circus Circus group -- partly owned by Ilitch's
wife, Marian -- to build a casino on the site." In addition
to their tailgating fans, McGraw & Montemurri write that the
Lions want a parking lot because they "are troubled by the
prospect of having a casino" next to the stadium. In
negotiations that "fell apart Tuesday," the Lions "offered
various options, which included a mix of deck and surface
parking, to change the contract" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 1/15).
