A 75,000-square-foot headquarters and practice facility for a future WNBA team is set to open west of the Belle Isle bridge by early 2029.
The project is expected to create 291 temporary construction jobs, 71 permanent positions, and use a $40.6 million tax incentive for environmental cleanup.
Community-Focused Expansion: Future plans include a 100,000-square-foot youth development academy and athletic fields to boost recreational opportunities for Detroit’s youth.
The Detroit City Council has unanimously approved a $50 million redevelopment project that will transform the long-vacant and contaminated former Uniroyal factory site on the city’s east riverfront into a new headquarters and practice facility for a future WNBA team.
The Detroit Free Press reported that the council’s vote on Tuesday, Nov. 18, greenlit a land agreement and a Brownfield tax capture development incentive to support the project. The nonresidential construction project is being led by an investor group associated with the Detroit Pistons organization.
The development will include a 75,000-square-foot facility located just west of the bridge to Belle Isle along the Detroit River.
Construction is expected to begin in 2027, with completion scheduled for early 2029, in time for the WNBA season that year. The project is expected to generate approximately 291 temporary construction jobs and create 71 full-time equivalent positions once operational.
The 42-acre site, formerly home to the Uniroyal tire factory that closed in 1980, has remained vacant for decades due to contamination. The approved Brownfield tax capture incentive, valued at $40.6 million over 30 years, will primarily fund environmental cleanup and site preparation.
As part of the agreement, ownership of the property will transfer from the city to the Detroit Brownfield Redevelopment Authority, which will lease the site to W-Detroit Property LLC, a development entity led by the Pistons, on a long-term basis.
The city is also expected to receive a share of revenue from the lease arrangement.
The redevelopment project extends beyond the WNBA facility. A nonprofit group plans to develop a 100,000-square-foot youth development academy, along with multiple indoor and outdoor athletic fields for basketball, soccer, volleyball, flag football, and other sports.
The youth-focused complex will be built as a separate nearby construction project with its own timeline.
Once all site plans and tax abatement approvals are finalized, the project will mark another significant step in the revitalization of Detroit’s riverfront.
By blending professional sports infrastructure with community-focused recreation, the development aims to create a lasting impact on the city’s east riverfront.
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