DETROIT, Michigan – Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert has offered to build a new criminal justice center in Detroit in exchange for the old jail property, which he wants to use for downtown development, including a soccer stadium.
Gilbert’s Rock Ventures LLC submitted the offer to build a new consolidated criminal justice center that would include adult and juvenile detention facilities as well as a new criminal courthouse, mlive.com reported. Rock Ventures proposes building a $1 billion commercial development that would include a major league soccer stadium.
In January a group led by Gilbert, who owns the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores put in a formal bid to get a Major League Soccer expansion team in Detroit.
Detroit is among 12 cities competing for four MLS expansion spots.
Wayne County owns the jail and site in Greektown, which Gilbert said in his proposal is ideal for development of an urban entertainment center.
Could the same sort of deal be possible in Cleveland?
In Cuyahoga County, officials are studying the future of the Justice Center, which takes up a block of prime downtown land. Cleveland owns the land under the jail and the county owns the land under the justice tower, at St. Clair Avenue and Lakeside Avenue.
Gilbert, who owns Jack Cleveland Casino, has been buying downtown Cleveland property as well. Last year he bought the Avenue at Tower City Center.
In Detroit, construction of a new jail near the county’s courthouse and juvenile detention center has been stalled for years, mlive.com reported. County officials, who halted the half-finished jail project in 2013 because it was over the $300 million budget, have said they planned to resume construction this year, the Detroit News reported.
Gilbert proposed to build a new, $420 million justice complex about 1.5 miles north of the Gratiot Avenue site, using the county’s $300 million and his own funds.
See the proposal below or click here if on a mobile device.
Gilbert would like an answer from the county by Feb. 20, according to the proposal.
The county acknowledged receiving the proposal, but didn’t comment further, mlive.com reported.
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