DETROIT, MI - The ground might be frozen and the big red shipping crates moved, but work at the future site of the $650 million Red Wings arena and accompanying entertainment district is on track, Olympia spokesman Ed Saenz said Tuesday.

"We're on schedule and nothing's changed in the plan," he said.

Crews will start "moving earth" in the spring, Saenz said, matching what Olympia Entertainment and Ilitch Holdings Inc. officials said at the September 2014 ground breaking ceremony.

Crews are currently working on utility relocation and setting up for construction staging, which will set the stage for spring-time construction to begin at the site, Saenz said.

The $450 million arena and accompanying $200 million entertainment district will occupy roughly 45 blocks of Detroit's Cass Corridor neighborhood.

Though there aren't any big machines rolling around at the site, recent work included removing graffiti on numerous buildings in the 45-block area. Most notably, the vacant Park Avenue and Eddystone hotels were rid of graffiti.

The two historic buildings are a part of a fight from preservation advocates to keep the former hotels from being demolished in way of the new entertainment district.

Sand lots have replaced the Temple Motel, which was demolished in May.

See how the site has changed since 2013

The new arena, set between Detroit's Midtown and downtown areas, led city and state officials to justify the use of public money in helping to fund the $650 million project.

Construction is paid for with a mix of $365.5 million in private investment and an estimated public investment of $284.5 million. The project is described as a "catalyst," which will propel further development in the city.

Olympia Development of Michigan, the development arm of Ilitch Holdings, plans to build the entertainment district with four- and five-story mixed-use development properties at the same time the arena is being built.

The project is aiming for completion for the 2017 NHL season.

Red Wings Arena and Entertainment District renderings 28 Gallery: Red Wings Arena and Entertainment District renderings

The 45-block entertainment district, "stitches together" surrounding assets into "charming, walkable, livable neighborhoods," Ilitch Holdings president and CEO Chris Ilitch has said.

The recessed, bowl-shaped arena itself, built along Woodward Avenue between Sproat and Henry streets, will have its ancillary buildings surrounding it and detached, making them a part of the entertainment district.

People will be able to access the area in and around the arena 365 days a year, except for during ticketed events.

For now, crews are laying the groundwork for a the spring, Saenz said.

"That stuff has got to be planned in advance" in order for bigger moves to go smoothly, he said.

Ian Thibodeau is the entertainment and business reporter for MLive Detroit. He can be reached at ithibode@mlive.com, or follow him on Twitter.