Matt Helms

Detroit Free Press

Some residents of Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood say they’re concerned that plans for the new Detroit Police Athletic League headquarters at the site of the former Tiger Stadium may not leave enough time for youth leagues and the general public.

Corktown residents met Monday night with PAL officials to air concerns about the future of the $11.3-million PAL headquarters, which will be an L-shaped structure along Cochrane and Michigan Avenues that partially encloses the playing field. The development also will include a residential and retail project.

Construction on the field began in June, while developers say construction on the retail-residential portion is expected to start late this year.

► Related:Construction begins at former Tiger Stadium site

► Related:Tigers Foundation donates largest gift ever: $300,000 to Detroit PAL

Tim McKay, a longtime Corktown resident, said the leaders of PAL haven’t been as transparent about their plans for the facility as residents had hoped. He said residents worry that PAL’s Willie Horton Field of Dreams, as it’s been renamed in honor of the Tigers great, will be significantly less available for public use than initially proposed.

“Ownership of this park is really a neighborhood issue,” McKay said. “It’s 150 years that something has been there for the general public. To overlook that, they’re just not doing what they should be doing. It’s turned around a little bit from what was originally proposed. And they just haven’t presented their case transparently and in an honest way.”

Detroit PAL CEO Tim Richey told residents during the community meeting of the Corktown Economic Development Corp. that the organization wants to be a good neighbor to those who live near the old stadium site. He said the facility is expected to open in spring 2017.

Richey apologized to the group for not addressing concerns in recent months, but he said he wanted to reassure them that the priority will be to provide youth activities on the new field, with at least 51% of the facility’s activities devoted to youths.

But Richey also said there will be college, high-school and other sports events as well as movie nights, concerts and other activities for the community. He said PAL will ensure that there there are daily public hours for the field but also will offer it up for private use during daytime hours when children are in school. During summer months, he said, there will be additional daytime youth access.

The facility needs to make money, Richey said.

“We have to create revenue-generating opportunities so the site can pay for itself,” he said.

Corktown resident Anthony O’Donnell said he was angry that what was sold as a way to preserve a public park for youth activities has now taken on a heavy business component.

“They’ve been ignoring public input and stonewalling our suggestions,” he said after the meeting. “It’s turned into a private money-making venture for PAL.”

PAL plans to hold small gatherings in Corktown at homes weekly through September to discuss issues with residents.

PAL’s use of the site has been controversial. Fans of the old Tiger Stadium fought against PAL’s plans to replace the grass with artificial turf. PAL says the field will be used by thousands of kids and others, and grass wouldn’t be able to hold up. Residents at Monday’s meeting also raised questions about the safety of artificial turf.



If the debate about the new use has been heated at times, it’s in large part because of the strong feelings for the old ballpark where the Tigers last played in 1999. The city and preservationists weren’t able to come up with another use for the park before it was demolished in 2009.

A volunteer group called the Navin Field Grounds Crew cut the grass there for years and arranged informal baseball games, but the field was mostly unused for years.

The nonprofit Detroit PAL provides athletics and mentorship to more than 13,700 children a year.

Contact Matt Helms: 313-222-1450 or mhelms@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @matthelms.