A project aiming to bring a headquarters and practice facility for Detroit’s new WNBA team to a long-vacant and heavily polluted riverfront property took a step forward Thursday.
The Community Advisory Committee of the city’s Brownfield Redevelopment Authority unanimously voted to recommend the authority approve the plan. The developer, W-Detroit, is aiming to build a 75,000-square-foot WNBA facility, as well as a 100,000-square-foot youth sports complex at the former Uniroyal Tire Co. property, located just west of the bridge to Belle Isle, in east Detroit.
Committee members said that while members of the public asked questions about the project, specifically about environmental ramifications and the impact of construction on the adjacent neighborhoods, during a public hearing on Wednesday, no individuals or organizations have gone on record in opposition to the plan.
“We usually receive negative public comment by this point in the process, but we have not at this time,” said Brian Vosburg, senior director of brownfield redevelopment for the Detroit Economic Growth Corp.
On Wednesday, community members expressed excitement about the $50 million project expected to get underway next year, even as developers said it was too early in the process to answer some of their questions.
Decades of industrial use has left the dirt at the riverfront site, once the home of Uniroyal Tire Co. and other manufacturers, filled with heavy metals as well as volatile organic and synthetic compounds, which emit gases from some solids or liquids and include many chemical products, including those used in households. Some may have short- and long-term adverse health effects, the Environmental Protection Agency said.
In response to a question about protecting the Detroit River from these pollutants, Adam Patton, environmental consultant for project, said work will involve use of a “sealed system” and “migration barriers to ensure the contaminations stays on site.”
Stormwater will be collected during construction, he said, then treated before being discharged into the river.
Patton previously explained that remediation will include excavating the polluted dirt, transporting it to a landfill, then adding a new layer of clean soil.
One nearby resident asked about the impact of dust from construction on the neighborhood. Patton said crews will consistently monitor levels of dust in the air to ensure they fall within acceptable limits. City law generally requires that construction projects not generate enough dust that its opacity is greater than 5% on-site and 0% off-site.
Other questions posed by the public and their responses:
• Will there be retail shops on site? “Not currently,” except for “some level of concessions” at the youth complex, said Richard Haddad, chief operating officer and chief legal officer at Pistons Sports & Entertainment and part of the WNBA project development team, known as W-Detroit.
• How much parking will there be? Developers said there will be 800-plus public parking spaces.
• Will the developers hire local contractors? Haddad said that’s the goal. He noted that the general contractor and several subcontractors who built the Pistons Performance Center on 2nd Avenue were locally based.
• Will residents in nearby neighborhoods be impacted by the work? Haddad said developers want to minimize impact, but traffic studies are still underway.
About two dozen community members attended Wednesday’s public hearing, held at Cred Cafe on Jefferson Avenue, a short walk from the site.
Sylvia Crawford owns the coffee shop and event space with her family, including sons Joe and Jordan Crawford, both former NBA players who were raised in Detroit. She said the 75,000-square-foot WNBA facility and the 100,000-square-foot youth complex are exciting and promising plans for the long-vacant neighboring site.
Due to issues including the chemical hazards, the 42-acre site has been vacant since Uniroyal closed up shop in the early 1980s. Developers have explored several ambitious projects since then, but none have gotten past the planning stages.
“We’ve been waiting for development to kind of roll this way,” said Thomas Randolph of the Randolph Law Group, another business located near the site. He said he’s fully supportive of the proposal.
The property is owned by the city and the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority. W-Detroit plans to lease the property from the government entities.
W-Detroit is seeking $34.5 million in tax-increment financing to cover the cleanup, site preparation and infrastructure improvements associated with the project, as well as a 10-year, $9.1 million property tax abatement.
According to the proposal, initially construction is scheduled to begin next year. Developers aim to open the buildings in 2029, when Detroit’s new professional women’s basketball team will begin play. The team will play its games at Little Ceasars Arena.
Officials estimate the project will create 291 temporary construction jobs and 71 permanent jobs through the WNBA practice facility.
Officials said the plan is expected to be discussed by the Detroit Brownfield Redevelopment Authority during an Oct. 22 meeting. If OK’d by the authority, the proposal moves to the city’s Planning and Economic Development Standing Committee, then the Detroit City Council for final approval.
mreinhart@detroitnews.com