Louis Aguilar

The Detroit News

Owners of the Detroit Red Wings and Tigers seek to build a five-story parking garage next to Comerica Park.

The potential $28.7 million structure would be called Tiger Garage 2 and would have 900 parking spaces and possible ground floor retail. It will be designed for use by patrons of Comerica Park as well as the new hockey arena, Fox Theatre and St. Johns’ Episcopal Church, which is next to the future garage.

If things go as planned, the new parking garage could be open in time for the 2017 debut of the new $627 million home of the Red Wings. That venue is being built a few blocks north.

Representatives for the team owners indicated Wednesday the garage could also be used for future downtown residents — a plan is in the works to build a new apartment building next to the garage.

Details were unveiled Wednesday afternoon at the board meeting of the Downtown Development Authority, a unit of the city’s economic development agency.

At the site now is a surface parking lot with 300 spaces. The boundaries of the new garage would be Montcalm to the south, the Interstate 75 service drive to the north, John R to the east and St. John’s Episcopal Church to the west.

Doug Kuiper, spokesman for Ilitch Holdings, said the structure “will reflect the diverse architecture” of the area. Plans call for trees and other landscaping.

The property is controlled by the Detroit-Wayne County Stadium Authority, which owns Comerica Park. Approval from that authority could come as soon as Thursday. The project also would need approval from the City of Detroit.

The Tigers and Red Wings are owned by Mike Ilitch. He and his wife Marian co-founded Little Caesars Pizza. Other holdings include the Fox Theatre, Olympia Entertainment and extensive property near the new arena. The new hockey arena is part of an ambitious plan to overhaul 45 blocks of the city with new residences, offices and retail.

laguilar@detroitnews.com