Don't get me wrong, some of my happiest memories from my childhood were spent at Tiger Stadium. I will never forget the feeling of being a 9 year old watching Lou Whitaker hitting a home run in the bottom of the ninth to secure a come from behind victory from the confines of the the great old ball park with my dad and brother. As much as I love the place, its time for the "leaders" in Detroit to finally make the decision that is best for Detroit: tear down Tiger Stadium.
Once again, the Detroit City Council has displayed its lack of competency by delaying their vote on the future of the stadium. While I would love to see the stadium stand, it is clear that the surrounding neighborhood would benefit greatly if the space were utilized in a more sustainable manner. While at a Michigan development conference this past spring, I heard a great proposal to turn the site into a mixed development area; with housing and commercial space available. One proposal even included keeping the diamond that I ran around on Friday nights as a kid available for little league games. Corktown, the neighborhood surrounding the stadium, has great promise. However, it currently lacks enough affordable housing and retail space to reach its full potential. Accordingly, I hate to say it, but it makes sense to tear down the grand ole' ball park.
What is important here, is the fact that the members of City Council have continued to not do the job that they were elected to do. Lets face it, Detroit has a lot of problems. However, they will never begin to be solved if the City Council can't even display the leadership necesarry to finally address an issue that has existed for years.
2 comments:
If I was a Tigers fan, I might have to kill myself.
I disrespectfully disagree. I hope you return to ann arbor only to find your home torn down.
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