Detroit council committee hears $198M DCFC stadium plan and Brownfield TIF request; hearings moved to Nov. 20 after community concerns

City council’s Committee of the Whole on Nov. 6 heard an amended Brownfield plan and several related incentive requests for a proposed Detroit City Football Club (DCFC) stadium and adjoining mixed‑use project and agreed to close the public hearings and return the items to the formal docket on Nov. 20 for final council action.

Detroit Economic Growth Corporation and Brownfield Authority staff described an amended plan covering five parcels at 20th and Michigan Avenue that would demolish the former Southwest Hospital site and build a 15,000‑seat stadium, a 421‑space parking deck, roughly 76 residential units and ground‑floor retail. Staff described the total estimated investment as roughly $198 million and said the developer is requesting approximately $74.2 million in tax‑increment (Brownfield) reimbursement for eligible remediation, demolition, parking and housing‑subsidy costs.

"The developer is requesting TIF reimbursement of approximately $74,000,000 on the project," Brownfield staff said during their presentation, and outlined eligible activities including environmental remediation, asbestos and lead abatement, infrastructure and a parking deck.

DCFC founder Sean Mann told the committee the team has negotiated a community benefits agreement and described broader affordability and accessibility commitments. "We have committed that all 76 units would be affordable, from a range of 40 to 80% AMI with an average of 60%, including...10% of the units would be fully accessible," Mann said.

That description prompted follow‑up because city staff and legal presenters described a narrower guarantee inside the Brownfield plan itself. An attorney for the Economic Growth Corporation told the committee that while many units are part of the plan scope, the Brownfield agreement strictly guarantees a smaller portion as affordable; neighborhood advocates and DCFC’s NAC representative pushed back, saying the negotiated CBA includes deeper affordability commitments than the narrow language in the Brownfield documents.

Community callers and organizations were split: several small‑business and neighborhood groups expressed support for removing a blighted hospital and adding jobs and retail, while others urged stronger, enforceable housing and anti‑displacement measures, more money dedicated to deeply affordable housing (30% AMI and below), binding transit targets and clearer pollution controls during demolition. One caller cited a recent street‑cleaning incident that created a dust cloud and asked how residents will be notified about toxic substances during site work.

Presenters said the Brownfield Authority held its neighborhood public hearing and included minutes in the council packet and said housing affordability will be monitored by HRD over the 30‑year life of the Brownfield plan; staff also described a requested housing subsidy in the Brownfield estimate and said the authority will review eligible costs before reimbursement. DGC staff recommended a 12‑year PA 255 abatement for the stadium portion and a 10‑year PA 210 certificate for the mixed‑use portion, noting the tax incentives are performance‑based.

After questions on parking supply, part‑time event staffing and ADA conversions for accessible housing, the committee voted to close the public hearings and return all related line items for formal council consideration on Nov. 20 rather than vote on abatements at this meeting.