The Wayne County Commission voted to place a 1% hotel room
tax and 2% car rental tax, designed to fund the new Tigers and
Lions stadiums, on the November 5 ballot, according to the
DETROIT NEWS. Commission members also approved the financial
contract between Detroit, the county and the teams, and created a
stadium authority that will buy land for the proposed $505M
complex. In addition, they formalized letters of commitment from
the clubs adopting minority participation goals in construction
and operation of the stadiums (Linsalata & Basheda, DETROIT NEWS,
8/23).
LESSONS FROM MOTOWN: In Boston, David Halbfinger writes the
deal in Detroit "holds little hope" for supporters of a new
Patriots stadium in downtown Boston, because unlike Boston
officials, Detroit's political and business leaders are
"convinced" that bringing the team back into the inner city from
Pontiac will help spur an economic revival. Boston attorney
Robert Caporale adds that even though Patriots Owner Robert Kraft
has pledged to build a $200M privately funded downtown facility,
Detroit's plan "provides another indication of how you need the
cooperative work of private and public together" (BOSTON GLOBE,
8/22).
