Detroit City FC stadium site: what a $1 million state cleanup grant pays for at the old Southwest Detroit Hospital, and what it doesn’t

DETROIT — Michigan’s environmental agency is putting $1 million toward cleaning up the land where Detroit City FC plans to build its new home in southwest Detroit, and the state says the money is aimed at the housing on the site, not the soccer stadium.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) laid out the details in an Oct. 8 grant announcement and a Nov. 5 feature on the project. The site, at 2301 and 2401 20th Street near Michigan Avenue, held the Southwest Detroit Hospital and later United Community Hospital, and sat empty for about two decades before the building came down this year.

What is in the ground

The land was first developed as a railyard in the 1880s, EGLE says. Auto repair, a blacksmith, fuel storage and boiler works followed between 1884 and 1966, and the agency’s latest feature also lists coal and oil storage. Environmental site assessments in 1996, 2003 and 2024 found petroleum, chlorinated solvents and metals in the soil.

The Brownfield Redevelopment Grant will pay for more testing, removal of contaminated soil, barriers so people cannot come into contact with what remains, and a vapor venting system under a new five-story, 245,515-square-foot building. That building is planned to hold 104 apartments, 68 of them set aside for tenants earning 60% to 80% of the area median income, plus 11,682 square feet of commercial space that EGLE expects to create 25 jobs and a 423-space parking deck.

Where the money can and can’t go

EGLE says the grant will not pay for anything tied directly to the stadium, including stadium utilities and dedicated infrastructure. It may cover a proportional share of shared work, such as water and sewer extensions or stormwater management.

The grant is not the only public help. A state property tax abatement under Public Act 210 will cut the project’s tax bill by $1.8 million, according to the October announcement. The mixed-use piece is a $48.7 million development inside a $190 million overall project. By our math, the grant and the abatement together come to $2.8 million in state support, about 1.5% of the total cost.

The 15,000-seat stadium will sit on the southern part of the property and be available for community events and other sports. The city expects stadium events to bring $5.5 million a year in visitor spending and $1.3 million a year in hotel stays. The city and the club have also agreed to a $2 million community benefits package, which EGLE says includes money for local nonprofits, a revolving loan fund for small businesses, art and murals, and free tickets for neighborhood groups.

What’s next

Detroit City FC currently plays its home matches at Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramck, EGLE notes, and its 2026 season ended there last week with a 2-1 USL playoff loss to Hartford Athletic. EGLE’s announcements do not give an opening date for the new stadium. The apartments and shops are scheduled to be ready for tenants in March 2029.

Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans called the project a significant investment in the county. Statewide, EGLE says its brownfield program gave more than $23 million in incentives to 76 projects in 52 communities in 2025.

Sources:
Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, “EGLE grant will help create new housing and jobs as part of the Detroit City Football Club stadium project” (Oct. 8, 2026; site history, assessments, grant uses, stadium exclusion, $48.7 million, PA 210 abatement, Evans, 2025 program totals), https://www.michigan.gov/egle/newsroom/press-releases/2026/10/08/20th-michigan-brownfield-project
Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, “Brownfield redevelopment to show pride, progress and momentum growing in southwest Detroit” (Nov. 5, 2026; $190 million project, building size, community benefits, March 2029), https://www.michigan.gov/egle/newsroom/mi-environment/2026/11/05/detroit-city-football-club
Photo: Sean Marshall, “Southwest Detroit Hospital.jpg,” June 30, 2013, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0), cropped and resized, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Southwest_Detroit_Hospital.jpg

Detroit

Tags: Detroit · Detroit City FC · Brownfield · EGLE · Southwest Detroit · Corktown · Housing · Taxpayers