Reports indicate that negotiations to renovate Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers since 2000, are underway.
Comerica Park has served as the Detroit Tigers‘ home since the 2000 MLB season. Despite its relatively recent construction when compared to other MLB venues, it is beginning to exhibit signs of aging, prompting calls for renovations. In addition to the minor on-field changes made earlier this year, there are ongoing negotiations to allocate additional funds for further enhancements. Thanks to the Ilitch family’s reported interest in acquiring downtown public property, there is potential for the funds allocated to that purchase to be redirected toward the renovations.
Future downtown property purchases could go toward venue renovations
According to Axios, the Ilitch family is looking to purchase property downtown valued at $35 million, and that money could go right into the ballpark renovations:
- “The properties they want to buy are owned by the Detroit/Wayne County Stadium Authority, an obscure public body that owns Comerica and Ford Field and leases them to the Tigers and Lions.
- A major sticking point, Kaufman says, is how much of the proceeds the county will keep and how much the stadium authority will retain and could use toward renovations.
- Allison Gabrys, a spokesperson for the Ilitches’ development arm, tells Axios that the company does not comment on active deal negotiations.”
Chris Ilitch previously spoke of wanting to keep the fan experience fresh at Comerica Park
Tigers chairman and CEO Chris Ilitch stated recently that his goal is to keep the venue up to date and the fan experience fresh.
“We try to be very disciplined at Comerica Park and each and every year … just keep investing in the facility and keeping it fresh and exciting and make sure that customer experience stays high,” Ilitch recently said at a business conference (h/t The Detroit News). “Having said that, at some point we are going to take it to the next level and really do something more meaningful because we are seeing how people are reacting to the Little Caesars (Arena) environment.”
TL;DR (too long didn’t read)
- Comerica Park has been the home of the Detroit Tigers since the 2000 MLB season, and over time, the venue has started to exhibit signs of aging.
- According to a report, the Ilitch family is actively exploring the acquisition of downtown public property with a value of $35 million.
- As per Axios, discussions are currently in progress, suggesting that the funds earmarked for this property purchase could potentially be redirected toward financing stadium renovations.
Bottom Line: Is a better Detroit Tigers fan experience coming?
Ensuring that fans are eager to visit downtown and invest in a day at the ballpark should be a top priority for team ownership, alongside fielding a competitive team.
Let’s remain hopeful that the fan experience at Comerica Park can continue to enhance and meet the expectations of those in attendance in the coming year!
