Ilitch reveals plan for new $450m, 18,000-seat Red Wings arena

[Ally 448]

http://www.freep.com/article/20130619/BUSINESS06/306190099

Thoughts?

[BottleOfSmoke 5,965]

@RedWingsFeed: A Google map with the proposed #RedWings arena development site shaded: https://t.co/maogI9PXNK

[Holmstrom96 347]

This is huge. Don't get me wrong, I love the Joe, but I hate standing in a 20 minute mosh-pit trying to get out of there.

Connecting midtown and downtown would be wonderful.

GO WINGS.

[FireCaptain 563]

I don't like the reduced capacity. Although, that would make it look fuller.

Fixed it for ya.. haha

This is huge. Don't get me wrong, I love the Joe, but I hate standing in a 20 minute mosh-pit trying to get out of there in to the bathroom.

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

The new arena needs to seat 20K.

[evilmrt 636]

The new arena needs to seat 20K.

Doesn't matter if all the choice seats are still held by suits that only show up for 5 minutes, if at all, and then go home. Used to see a lot of that when I lived in the area. People would use the Joe as some kind of bar....show up for the 2nd period with some buddies, drink, and then leave before the 3rd even started. WTF

[hockey&beer 16]

Just my 2 cents:

Part of the necessity for a new barn is the lack of high dollar corporate suites. The new arena will have mid-level boxes (think The Palace) that will pull those "visting suits" away from ice level. Also, with proper luxury boxes and club level the bulk of the increase in ticket prices will be absorbed by the big wigs.

As far as decreased capacity goes, that's also a function of the mid-level boxes. To keep capacity at 20k fans would be a long distance from the ice.

[Hockeymom1960 5,107]

Again, I wouldn't mind a new arena but hope the seats are not miles away from the ice and they still let the fans be on the glass during warmups. In Chicago, they don't let you on the glass for warmups unless you have a ticket in the lower section.

Edited June 19, 2013 by Hockeymom1960

[chances14 229]

This is huge. Don't get me wrong, I love the Joe, but I hate standing in a 20 minute mosh-pit trying to get out of there.

Connecting midtown and downtown would be wonderful.

GO WINGS.

but i hope you like sitting in your car for 2 hours trying to get out of there.

can you imagine the traffic if the wings, lions and tigers are all playing on the same day? not to mention the traffic from the fox theatre. uggh!

[wheelchairwing 11]

I never really cared for The Joe ... not very accessible ... wheelchair seating sucks ... it needs to be like Nationwide Arena where I can see the entire ice surface from above, not one side or the other ... I would love Gordie Howe Arena, but today's world makes that pretty much impossible ...

[GoalieManPat 1,007]

I love the Joe but its time. When I go with my pops we have to leave before the game ends so we don't get caught in the mosh pit to get out. He doesnt walk well enough anymore to handle that.

[TheCaptain19 49]

I am confused by the news today. We already knew most, if not all, of this. They're really just stating that it was approved by the city officially. My question is, does this mean something is designed? When are we going to see renderings?

[puckloo39 5,686]

I am very grateful that I made the trek several times to the Joe. There is literally nothing else like it, what special place! But I can see the benefits of the new venue and jobs brought in, etc., too.

No stopping it, so I say embrace it, but never forget the magical place that was Joe Louis Arena.

[amato 3,210]

The new arena needs to seat 20K.

I'm pretty sure I read 18k somewhere.. I'll try to find a link

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

I have no idea why the new arena would only seat 18,000. That means that 2,000 less people can come watch a game....and from a business standpoint, 2,000 less people ponying up the cash to come to the game.

[evilmrt 636]

Just my 2 cents:

Part of the necessity for a new barn is the lack of high dollar corporate suites. The new arena will have mid-level boxes (think The Palace) that will pull those "visting suits" away from ice level. Also, with proper luxury boxes and club level the bulk of the increase in ticket prices will be absorbed by the big wigs.

As far as decreased capacity goes, that's also a function of the mid-level boxes. To keep capacity at 20k fans would be a long distance from the ice.

Thanks, yeah that is an obvious problem and solution that I wasn't thinking about.

I am confused by the news today. We already knew most, if not all, of this. They're really just stating that it was approved by the city officially. My question is, does this mean something is designed? When are we going to see renderings?

I don't remember any of the extra-arena development being tacked onto the plan before, so I'm guessing this is the new part.

Are we talking about something like Westgate (Yotes), only with some real businesses occupying it as well?

This is from Mlive:

Meanwhile, projects that could be apart of the $200 million district surrounding the arena, as spelled out in the MOU approved Wednesday, include:

• A 140,000-square-foot mixed office and retail development at Woodward and Sproat Street
• A 25,000-square-foot office and retail development along Woodward
• Several parking structures with a total of 25,000 square feet of retail
• Renovation of the Detroit Life Building at 2210 Park Ave. for 3,645 square feet of retail and 35 residential units
• Renovation of the Blenheim Building at 81 W. Columbia St. for 1,833 square feet of retail and 16 residential units
• Renovaiton of the building at 1922 Cass Ave. for 70,000 square feet of office space

This is probably what the Ilitches needed to get the city/state to sign off on it. It should be a really nice area...not just an arena dropped in a neighborhood.

Edited June 20, 2013 by evilmrt

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

Why are people worried about being further away from the ice? There isn't a bad seat at JLA, even at the very top. I've sat in dozens of spots there, from the 5th row from the ice to the absolute last row in the building. All sight lines are perfect. If you're worried about being too far from the action, how do you explain a football stadium?

That's far higher up than any hockey arena.

Edited June 20, 2013 by Hockeytown0001

[Ally 448]

I sat at the very back of Rogers arena in Van and I could still see everything perfectly so it's definitely possible

[FireCaptain 563]

I was in that article, that's why I said I didn't like the idea of the reduce seating numbers.

I'm pretty sure I read 18k somewhere.. I'll try to find a link

The field's also bigger with more players (and therefore more action) and a football is magnitudes larger than a puck.

Go home comparison, you're drunk.

Why are people worried about being further away from the ice? There isn't a bad seat at JLA, even at the very top. I've sat in dozens of spots there, from the 5th row from the ice to the absolute last row in the building. All sight lines are perfect. If you're worried about being too far from the action, how do you explain a football stadium?

That's far higher up than any hockey arena.

[Gizmo 21]

While I conceed that a new barn is inevidable, I will mourn the reduction of the view of the upper bowl seats with the all-but-certain addition of the mid-level suites. I suppose the reduction in seating is to allow for the suites as well as additional leg room from increasing the depth of each row. But seeing as they haven't even apparently settled on a design, I think we'll have a number of seasons to still enjoy JLA.

[SpiritFan 37]

When they design the new building, I hope they remember to make the seats more "fan friendly". We're not all 50 pound 10 year old girls! I'm only 5'10" & my knees dig into the seat in front of me. And the fact that I am, how should I say it, a little "wide", it's a hell of a process even trying to grease myself up to try & slide into one of the seats at the Joe! Heck, my brother in law, who goes to some games with me, is of average hieght/build, and he has trouble fitting in the seats! Just a couple extra inches in seat width & a few more inches of leg room would make a trip to the Pizza Dome a lot more pleasant than the Joe. The seats in Saginaw at the Dow Event Center are perfect... wide enough for us big guys, and plenty of leg room. Granted, a much smaller arena, but they should be able to do it. I have been in other big arenas with wider seats/more legroom.

The Pizza Dome... lol... I am assuming this will be "Little Caesar's Arena" or something stupid... but what SHOULD the new arena be called (not a 'sponsor' name)? Wings Stadium?

[Richdg 267]

The reduction is seats is all about supply and demand. Reduce the supply to drive up the demand. They did the same thing with Tigers Stadium and Comerica Park. COPA seats about 12,000 fewer people. The higher demand allows for higher prices.

[amato 3,210]

I was in that article, that's why I said I didn't like the idea of the reduce seating numbers.

yup.. haha my bad

[Datsyukian-Deke 722]

What do you guys think the new arena should be called? Please don't call it something after a business like Maxi Pad Arena or something haha

[FireCaptain 563]

Little Caesers Coliseum!

At least then, the Illitch's are just transferring money from one pocket to another.

Whatever it ends up being, I don't want to see Amway Place © or Amway Arena © or anything with the word AMWAY in it.

Sorry to any independent business owners that are forum contributors, it's just that your parent company has a terrible reputation.

They don't call it SCAMway for nothing.

Edited June 20, 2013 by FireCaptain