A WNBA practice facility ignites a transformative redevelopment project on Detroit's former Uniroyal site, revitalizing blighted riverfront land.
Detroit moved closer to transforming a long-blighted stretch of riverfront on Tuesday, unanimously approving a site plan for a new WNBA practice facility on the former Uniroyal property along East Jefferson.
The project will occupy 7.4 acres on the southwest corner of the 42-acre site at 6000 East Jefferson, marking the first major development there after decades of stalled proposals. The facility will include two full-size courts, locker rooms, strength and conditioning spaces, and team support areas. The developer, W-Detroit Property LLC, also intends to build a youth sports academy on the property in a later phase.
The approval comes months after the WNBA awarded Detroit an expansion franchise set to begin play in 2029, bringing the league back to the city for the first time since the Detroit Shock relocated in 2009.
City leaders stressed that the project represents a critical step forward for a prominent section of the riverfront that has struggled with contamination and disuse following decades of industrial activity, including cast iron production and tire manufacturing. The site sits just west of the MacArthur Bridge to Belle Isle.
During the meeting, Councilman Fred Durhal III framed the vote as a breakthrough for both the neighborhood and the city’s broader redevelopment ambitions. In discussing the potential impact of the project on the riverfront, Durhal said, according to The Detroit News: “I think it is an amazing project as we look at what our riverfront is to become, and can become. It should be full of opportunity for our youth and our families... We're talking about a site that has sat vacant for many years, contributing to environmental decay of our city, but also blight.”
The land’s industrial legacy has made environmental planning a key component of the proposal. More than 1,500 soil borings have been conducted across the site to assess contamination levels and determine areas requiring excavation and long-term mitigation.
Environmental consultant Adam Patton said the findings show the extent of the work ahead. In describing the site’s condition, Patton said: “The site is contaminated, given its decades of industrial use.”
He detailed how the project team has mapped the problem thoroughly. “More than 1,500 soil borings have done across the site to ensure that we understand the site conditions, understand the extent of contamination and where contamination specifically is, versus where it is not.”
Patton said the remediation plan will include removing soil where necessary and using engineered barriers to safely separate old material from new. “A plan has been developed to address the contamination, including removing as much as two feet of dirt in some areas and barrier, along with installing a geo-textile liner to separate contaminated materials from fresh ones.”
As part of the approval, the council also voted to authorize $40 million in tax-increment financing to support cleanup, site preparation and infrastructure work tied to the $50 million development.
The project marks a new chapter for a historically challenging site that once produced 60,000 Uniroyal tires a day in the 1940s and was rezoned in the 1990s to support mixed-use development. After years of inactivity, city officials say the arrival of a WNBA franchise gives Detroit the opportunity — and the momentum — to finally reinvent the property.
With the approval now in place, the redevelopment effort moves into its environmental and pre-construction phase, positioning the site to become a year-round home for professional basketball and youth sports on the Detroit riverfront.