Wayne State Arena

On May 1, 2019, Wayne State University entered into a partnership with the Detroit Pistons to construct a new arena. The $25 million arena will be constructed near the corner of Trumbull and Warren Avenues. The Pistons' desire to bring their NBA G League affiliate closer to home was a factor in their decision since their affiliate, the Grand Rapids Drive, play 150 miles west of Detroit. There were discussions about bringing the Drive to Detroit, but the Drive's ownership has indicated that it would prefer to remain in the Grand Rapids area.[2][3] The Pistons then purchased an existing G League franchise from the Phoenix Suns, called the Northern Arizona Suns, and will bring team to Detroit as the Motor City Cruise in 2021.[4]

The partnership between Wayne State and the Pistons was negotiated in secret at the request of the Pistons, contrary to the Open Meeting Laws that govern all publicly elected officials in the state of Michigan (members of the Wayne State Board of Governors are publicly elected in statewide partisan elections). Plans for the Wayne State Arena were announced less than 12 hours before the University Board met to sign the contract. At the meeting, the arena was the first agenda item followed immediately by a university press conference announcing the partnership. There was no time provided for public comment despite the arena's location in a dense residential neighborhood.[5] The land the arena is being built on is zoned R-3 by the city of the Detroit, however, as a public university, Wayne State is not required to conform to city zoning or building ordinances. Additionally, a popular public access baseball diamond was destroyed during the construction of the arena despite appearing on pertinent press releases and the current Wayne State master plan.