City Issues RFP for Former Lions Home

PONTIAC, MI-The Pontiac Stadium Building Authority is requesting proposals for redevelopment of the Silverdome site–former home of the Detroit Lions football team. Any and all plans for reuse of the building will be considered, Silverdome officials say.

The RFP provides requirements of submission and is being issued to determine the best possible use of the 127.5-acre site.

The property is surrounded by the cities of Ann Arbor and Rochester Hills, home of many automotive suppliers and the North American headquarters of DaimlerChrysler.

“The stadium authority and the city of Pontiac are open to a wide variety of redevelopment options, including renovation of the Silverdome,” says Mayor Willie Payne. “The site’s success will play an important role in Pontiac as the city continues to experience remarkable economic growth.”

Proposals are tentatively due this fall and members of the authority and Pontiac will be involved in the review process.

Additional dates and timing will be announced once they are confirmed.

“People who are considering the re-use of the building can go online and get specifications and modifications of the building,” Silverdome executive director Eric Walker tells GlobeSt.com.

He adds that over the years, people have made statements of what they would like to do with the dome, but now they’ll have to put those ideas into writing. Any reuse will be considered, Walker says.

“We’ve had people from as far away as Florida, talking about tech parks and all kinds of mixed-use projects. The sky’s the limit,” he says.

The Silverdome is owned and operated by the building authority. The authority was incorporated in 1968 by the city to acquire property and to construct the large covered stadium.

The Ford Motor Co.-owned Detroit Lions will pay Pontiac more than $27 million. The team was supposed to stay at the Silverdome until 2006. However, the new $300-million, 1.3 million-sf Ford Field is currently under construction next to the Detroit Tigers new ball park, Comerica Park, along Woodward Avenue. The Lions have said they will open their first game of the season at Ford Field.

Ford Field is also set to host Super Bowl XL in 2006.