Detroit's MLS push continued Monday, as Wayne County officials received an offer to give Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert the land to build a $1B "mixed-use development anchored by" a 23,000-seat MLS stadium, according to Aguilar & Ramirez of the DETROIT NEWS. In exchange for the much-maligned jail site, Gilbert’s Rock Ventures LLC would "build a new Criminal Justice Center that would include a new 1,600-bed jail, a juvenile detention facility and new courtrooms." The new justice center would be "built north of downtown on a eight-acre site." The proposal "offers to charge" the county $300M for a project the firm estimates would cost some $420M to complete. Two key county officials "praised Gilbert’s offer but cautioned it’s too soon [to] tell if it will become reality." Gilbert's plan has a timeline, "starting with an answer from Wayne County by Feb. 20." What is key is the year '20 goal Gilbert has "set for the new Criminal Justice Center to be completed." That is the first year a possible Detroit MLS expansion team would be "eligible to play" (DETROIT NEWS, 2/8). In Michigan, Dana Afana noted in addition to "taking ownership of the downtown site, Rock Ventures wants 'a credit for the savings a new consolidated criminal justice complex will provide'" (MLIVE.com, 2/7). A DETROIT FREE PRESS editorial is written under the header, "In Math For Downtown Detroit Soccer Stadium, What Do Taxpayers Pay?" The editorial: "No doubt, there’s cause to celebrate any movement on the current deadlock ... costing millions and generally blighting the area, which is otherwise seeing a renewal like much of the rest of downtown." So far, the city's downtown revival "has been led by Gilbert." The county "needs to be sure that the deal is favorable to taxpayers." The editorial: "And if it's not, we should all be fine telling Gilbert and [Pistons Owner Tom] Gores to take a hike" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 2/8).
