New Arena For Red Wings in 2017

The Michigan board has given approval for a new downtown arena for the Red Wings. A state board on Wednesday unanimously gave the go-ahead for a new Red Wings hockey arena in downtown Detroit to be paid for in part with $284 million in tax dollars even as the broke city works through bankruptcy proceedings.

Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch has long wanted a replacement for the 32-year-old Joe Louis Arena located a few miles away. The new complex would be close to the Lions' Ford Field and Tigers' Comerica Park near Interstate 75 and Woodward Avenue.

Under the plan, the authority would own the arena and event center complex. The Red Wings' owner would have exclusive rights to use, manage and operate it, and hold naming rights.

Olympia Development, owned by Ilitch and his wife, said the funding split for comparable major sports complexes in other cities in the past decade has averaged 75 percent public and 25 percent private.

Construction of the arena is anticipated to be done by 2017. It's also expected to host other entertainment events. No design has been made public.