5 Things That Could Replace Blighted Detroit House Next To LCA

The dilapidated house located on the north side of Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit, renown for being the last holdout against the Ilitchs and Olympia Development, is no more.

The home, which sat on a small parcel of land in the 2700 block of Cass Avenue, burned to the ground on Monday. No one was injured. Authorities did not immediately know the cause of the blaze.

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The owners of the house have long resisted the Ilitchs' attempts to purchase the home, which is the last holdout property adjacent to Little Caesars Arena. The property owners had set their asking price as high as $5 million at one point. It was still for sale at the time of the fire, with a listed price of $2.5 million.

The value of the property probably won't change as it's the physical area, not the house, that makes it desirable to developers, like Olympia, which has many other properties in the vicinity.

The area falls within the footprint of The District Detroit, a 50-block, 686-unit apartment community the Ilitchs promised as part of their Little Caesars Arena project. Olympia's plan for the neighborhood included multiple shops, restaurants, and bars, as well.

The state of Michigan awarded Olympia about $400 million in taxpayer funds to defray the cost of the development, in part to support The District Detroit. Previously, the Ilitchs had said virtually all of the construction of the development's various buildings would have begun by the end of 2018. As of 2022, practically no progress had been made.

Chris Ilitch, president and CEO of Olympia Development's parent company, Ilitch Holdings, hasn't offered any specific details in terms of The District Detroit's status.

With The District Detroit looking less and less like a reality and more and more like a broken promise, we've come up with some ideas for what could occupy the property that used to be home to the Little Caesars Arena holdout house.

5 Things That Could Replace The Infamous Holdout House Next To Little Caesars Arena In Downtown Detroit

The blighted home on the north side of Little Caesars Arena, infamous for its dilapidation and for its owners setting its asking price as high as $5 million when the Ilitchs tried purchasing it, has burned to the ground.

The house, located in the 2700 block of Cass Avenue, was considered an eyesore amid what is supposed to be a revitalized area of the city. As part of the agreement with the state of Michigan that gave them $400 million in taxpayer funds to use toward the construction of Little Caesars Arena, the Ilitchs promised to develop the surrounding 50 blocks into a 686-apartment neighborhood rife with shops, restaurants, and bars called The District Detroit. The Ilitchs said virtually all of the construction would be at least in progress by the end of 2018. As of 2022, practically no progress had been made on the development.

With that in mind, we've come up with a few ideas as to what could replace the Little Caesars holdout house in the 2700 block of Cass Avenue.

Source: 5 Things That Could Replace Infamous Blighted House Next To Little Caesars Arena In Detroit