Chris Ilitch, who for years has been the day-to-day executive for his family's business operations, oversaw construction and the opening last year of $863 million Little Caesar Arena, home to his family's Detroit Red Wings and the Tom Gores-owned Detroit Pistons. It was built with $284.5 million in public money and the remaining $580 million privately financed in bonds and debt via the Ilitches' Olympia Development of Michigan. The naming rights were bought for $120 million by the Ilitch-owned Little Caesars pizza chain.

Analysis of public records by Crain's has shown that much of the taxpayer financing for Little Caesars Arena comes from property taxes captured specifically for the project paid by downtown business owners such as General Motors Co., Dan Gilbert's commercial properties and Ilitch-owned land. Detroit's Downtown Development Authority owns the arena.

Comerica Park opened as home of the Tigers in 2000 at a cost of $326 million. Construction was a mix of public and private funding: Detroit-Wayne County Stadium Authority, which owns the ballpark, issued $86 million in bonds that are being paid off by rental car and hotel room taxes, while other public sources were the DDA ($40 million) and Michigan Strategic Fund ($55 million).

The Ilitch family financing was $145 million. They've spent undisclosed sums on minor upgrades and repairs over the years.

Under lease terms with the public stadium authority, which owns 41,083-seat Comerica Park, the Tigers keep all revenue generated at the stadium, with maintenance funded by annual deposits of $300,000 from the team and $250,000 from the DDA. The 35-year lease has six 10-year options, and the Tigers pay $1 a year until the options are exercised. Then the rent jumps to $1 million annually for each of the lease options exercised.

The ballpark's primary architect was HOK Sport (now known as Populous).

The naming rights were bought by Dallas-based Comerica Bank, which pays the team $2.2 million a year until 2028 as part of a 30-year, $66 million deal inked in 1998. In January, the bank opted to extend the deal another five years, through 2034. The current deal was set to expire Dec. 31, 2029.

Comerica Bank, headquartered in Detroit until 2007, has been a longtime financier for the Ilitch family's business interests. Most recently, Ilitch-owned Olympia Development said on Nov. 1 it had paid off the $200 million worth of 30-year non-tax-exempt bonds, bought by Comerica Bank when issued in 2014, that financed some of Little Caesars Arena's $863 million construction cost. Olympia ended up drawing only $188.5 million of the Series B bonds, according to information provided by the DDA.

The Ilitches don't appear to be seeking a new baseball stadium entirely. That sets them apart from the Texas Rangers, who said in 2016 — to much criticism — that they will leave the Ballpark in Arlington (now called Globe Life Park) that opened in 1994 at a cost of $ 191 million for the $1.1 billion Globe Life Field in Arlington scheduled to open in 2020.

Instead, the Ilitches appear to be interested in extending the life of Comerica Park, and increasing how much money it generates — likely an important factor because public records show that late Tigers owner Mike Ilitch collateralized Tigers revenue streams to finance his business endeavors such as Little Caesars Arena's construction. Seeking taxpayer subsidies, which typically are tax-free, to spruce up Comerica Park would save the Ilitches money.

Not all local stadium upgrades have been publicly funded: The Ford family privately financed a $100 million interior renovation and upgrade of Ford Field last year. The home of the Ford-owned Detroit Lions, 64,500-seat Ford Field opened in 2002 at a cost of $500 million (financed via $375 million from the team and private sources and $125 million from public sources).

The former home of the Pistons, who moved into Little Caesars Arena as a tenant last year, was the Palace of Auburn Hills, which opened in 1988 as the model for modern arena design. It included more than 100 suites, some of which in later years were converted into club spaces and party areas. Original owner William Davidson spent $90 million to build the arena, and current owner Gores put in another $40 million, all privately financed. The building is expected to be razed and the land sold for commercial development.

Detroit's other longtime sports venue, Joe Louis Arena, was build by the city for $57 million in public money in 1979. The Joe's basic design left little room for improved premium seating or club spaces, so the Red Wings left last year for their new home. Joe Louis will be demolished and the riverfront land redeveloped.

Renovating Comerica Park would be the latest in several years of major downtown projects by the Ilitches. In April, they unveiled $200 million worth of projects, and in June a $65 million sports medicine facility, within their $1.6 billion-plus District Detroit mixed-use development of offices, retail, residential, entertainment, academic and green spaces for the 50 blocks around the two sports venues. They said they intend to seek local, state and federal tax subsidies to offset development costs.

The family's business empire had $3.6 billion in combined revenue in 2017, according to Ilitch Holdings Inc.

Chris Ilitch was one of several local and national participants at the 2018 AXS Ticketing Symposium and the Sports Facilities and Franchises conference this week. Among those speaking are Quicken Loans Inc. Chairman and Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, Detroit Pistons executive Arn Tellem, Little Caesars president Dave Scrivano, Rochester sports entrepreneur Andy Appleby, University of Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel, and executives from a variety of U.S. pro sports teams and companies including AEG, Ticketmaster, Delaware North and StubHub.