JC Reindl

Detroit Free Press

The City of Pontiac has struck a deal with the owner of the Pontiac Silverdome for the eventual demolition of the empty sports venue, possibly by implosion.

The Silverdome's owner, Triple Investment Group, has until June 9 to submit a demolition permit application and announce the starting date for actual demolition as part of the deal affirmed today by a 50th District Court judge.

The judgment arose from the city's nuisance abatement case against the Silverdome's owner. The venue is storing hundreds of Volkswagen cars and crossovers on its parking lot without standard zoning permits. The vehicles are those that Volkswagen has been forced to buy back from customers following its diesel emissions scandal.

Tuesday's order by the judge will allow the vehicles to stay for the time being.

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The judgment does not give the owner a hard deadline for razing the Silverdome. A lawyer for Triple Investment Group told the Free Press that a demolition time line is still being worked on.

“We have to engage a contractor and develop specifications. From there, they will develop the appropriate time line," said attorney J. Patrick Lennon of Honigman, Miller, Schwartz and Cohn. “Everyone involved is working hard to make it come to be as quickly as possible."

Pontiac Mayor Deirdre Waterman said one potential demolition method is implosion.

"One of the preferred methods is implosion ... but that will depend on the expertise of the demolition contractor they retain," she said. “We want there to be consideration for the surrounding residential neighborhoods, so we want to make sure they've made allowances for the control of dirt and noise and other environmental factors.”

Triple Investment Group, which is controlled by the family of Canadian developer Andreas Apostolopoulos, bought the Silverdome in 2009 at auction from the City of Pontiac for $583,000. After failing to find a buyer for the 127-acre site, the firm announced a possible spring 2016 demolition for the 40-year-old stadium, but that date slipped.

The Silverdome is in poor physical condition and has been used only sporadically since 2002, when the NFL's Detroit Lions moved to Ford Field in Detroit. The stadium has been in advancing disrepair since its inflatable roof was damaged in a 2013 winter storm, exposing everything inside.

"It’s been a long time for the citizens of Pontiac, who have witnessed that become quite an eyesore," Waterman said.

Triple Investment Group has previously floated redevelopment possibilities for the site once the stadium is gone.

"As we say good-bye to an iconic place that was the setting for so many great memories, we put in place new development opportunities for one of the most unique properties in our nation," Apostolopoulos said in a statement. "The property continues to be in a transition phase, but we are more committed than ever to working with potential users, developers, brokers and investors. We have entertained many great ideas and look forward to hearing and evaluating many more."

Contact JC Reindl: 313-222-6631 or jcreindl@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @JCReindl.