(WXYZ) — The new Detroit City FC stadium in the Corktown & Southwest Detroit neighborhoods took another step toward becoming a reality this week.
According to our partners at Outlier Media and the Detroit Documenters, Detroit City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a plan that would reimburse the soccer club to tear down the abandoned Southwest Detroit Hospital where the future stadium would be.
According to the plan, the city would reimburse the club up to $5.9 million for the tear-down.
Last year, the team announced it had purchased the hospital, which has sat vacant for nearly two decades, with plans to build a soccer-specific stadium in the area.
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According to the plan, demolition on the hospital would start this summer and be completed by next spring. The team plans to begin playing games at the new stadium by the 2027 season.
DCFC Co-Owner and Co-Founder Sean Mann said at a Detroit Homecoming event last September that the team bought 17 acres adjacent to Michigan Central Station for the plan.
According to Crain's Detroit, the team has spent more than $15 million on property in that area and other property around the hospital.
"We are trying to solidify our place as Detroit’s soccer team and it’s an amazing opportunity to build a new venue," Mann said, according to Crain's.
The team now plays in the USL Championship, the second tier of professional soccer in the United States. They play their games at the historic Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramck, and started playing games at Cass Tech High School.
