Sports and entertainment facility adds to Detroit’s ongoing revitalization

CHICAGO, May 23, 2024 – JLL announced today that its Project and Development Services (PDS) group has been selected by Motown Sports Group Holdings, Inc. (MSGH) to provide project management advisory services for the multiphase sports facility in the Detroit metro area city of Romulus. Additionally, MSGH has selected JLL brokerage services to exclusively sell and lease space for restaurants, retail, hospitality and more.

Just minutes from the Detroit Metropolitan Airport, the facility aims to bring cutting-edge hotels, a diverse range of youth sports and entertainment amenities, dining and retail options to the Detroit-area community.

“I am excited about the opportunities this project could bring to our community as well the region,” said Robert A. McCraight, Mayor of the city of Romulus. “Our team is looking forward to working with the Motown group in order to make this vision a reality!”

The Motown Sports Facility adds to Detroit’s ongoing revitalization and will serve as a tourism destination. Destined to become the heart of Romulus, a thriving and expanding community. Catering to families, the multi-acre facility will be a venue for various youth sports organizations, events, concerts and more. On March 18, 2024, MSGH received a unanimous vote for conceptual site plan approval from the city of Romulus Planning Commission.

“This will be a game changer for the city of Romulus, the county, and the state of Michigan,” said John Barden, Mayor Pro Tem, Romulus City Council President. “It is an opportunity for jobs, opportunities for the state, and it is a much all-around win-win. The residents of Romulus are looking forward to a project like this. This is an underlined first-class organization that is running this, I support this project and so do my colleagues.”

“The benefits of the Motown Sports Facility will be felt throughout the entire Detroit metro area,” said Kenneth Bardwell, Founder, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Motown Sports Group Holdings, Inc. “This project will transform the entire Detroit metro area into a youth travel sports and entertainment destination resort for families, boosting the economy of Romulus and the surrounding communities. After searching for many years to find the right location and experiencing various ups and downs along with many trials, my experiences have taught me ‘you never fail until you stop trying.’ Our group at Motown has created the best-in-class development team and partnerships to make this project a world class facility and a reality.”

MSGH has selected venue and event management company ASM Global as a long-term partner to operate and manage the Motown Sports Facility. ASM Global is the world’s largest venue management and services company, spanning five continents, with a portfolio of more than 400 of the world’s most prestigious arenas, stadiums, convention and exhibition centers and performing arts venues.

“We are excited and committed about working with Motown Sports Group to help advance this important project,” said Liam Thornton, EVP, Strategy and Development, ASM Global. “ASM’s deep experience in venue and event management will ensure operational success of the Motown Sports Facility project.”

Youth and amateur sports are a growing industry across the U.S. and have become an economic driver for development – transforming communities large and small. By serving as a hub for various tournaments and events, mixed-use sports and entertainment facilities contribute to the local small business and hospitality industries and increase tourism – which is Michigan’s second largest industry.

The Project and Development Services team is being led by James Renne, National Director of Sports and Entertainment Development, JLL. The Sales, Leasing and Advisory team is being led by Robert Mihelich, Senior Vice President, Brokerage, JLL.

“Well-planned and designed public spaces contribute to the overall livability of a city or neighborhood,” Renne said. “Placemaking allows communities to embrace their unique cultural identities which adds meaningful and engaging experiences beyond their neighborhood.”

The concept of placemaking is intentionally creating and developing public spaces that enhance the quality of life in a community. It involves designing and transforming areas into vibrant, functional and engaging places that locals and tourists want to visit, live in and spend time. Like Truist Park and the Battery Atlanta project managed by JLL on behalf of the Atlanta Braves, anchoring mixed-use developments with sports and entertainment venues bring together restaurants, shopping, residential and more, for people to live, work and play in their community. Sports and entertainment-anchored real estate projects do this by bringing people together to create a sense of belonging and pride within a town or city to foster community.

Additionally, sports and entertainment projects act as catalysts for revitalizing and transforming underutilized areas. By attracting investment and attention, they revitalize neighborhoods, improve infrastructure and stimulate additional development projects that build on an areas’ success.

JLL Sports & Entertainment PDS delivers comprehensive owner representation and project management solutions for transformational developments, encompassing everything from pre-development program management, and pre-construction planning and design coordination to construction management and post-occupancy services. Additional sports and entertainment projects include stadium and arena developments, concert and event venues, athletic training facilities, broadcast media facilities and more. JLL clients include major league sports teams, collegiate athletics, investors and developers globally.

JLL Project and Development Services is a leader in the development, design, construction and branding of commercial real estate projects for the world’s most prominent corporations, educational institutions, public jurisdictions, healthcare organizations, industrial facilities, retailers, hotels, sports facilities and real estate owners. Ranked No. 2 Retail Design Firm by VMSD, No. 4 Top Development Company by Modern Healthcare, No. 2 on Engineering News-Record’s list of Top 100 Construction Management Firms and No. 9 on their list of Top 50 Program Management Firms, No. 5 in Building Design + Construction’s Construction Management Giants survey and No. 22 on Interior Design Top 100 Design Giants, JLL’s project management team comprises 8,800 project managers across 80 countries with $87.4 billion in projects managed annually. Visit us.jll.com/deliver-projects to learn more.

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