The meeting between Olympia and the DHDC is rescheduled for later today at 5:30 pm.
Olympia is leading in with this argument in favor of demolition of the historic hotel:
Olympia's construction plans show it is possible to build a 20,000-seat arena and a loading dock without disturbing the Park Avenue. But that option is not optimal, according to Olympia, because the loading dock would be smaller than desired, forcing some truck traffic onto nearby side streets. A larger loading dock will allow more trucks to be parked underground, according to plans Olympia submitted to the historic commission. The smaller loading dock also would make the arena less competitive with other venues, Olympia argues.
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To gain the commission's approval, Olympia has indicated it will argue that demolition of the Park Avenue meets the criteria for a historic preservation exception allowed by the city. The exception is for historic structures that are "a deterrent to a major improvement program that will be of substantial benefit to the community."
"When the design team laid out an underground loading facility that accommodated the footprint of the former hotel, the result was undersized and inadequate for a state-of-the-art events center," Emily Palacios, of Miller Canfield, wrote on behalf of Olympia to the historic commission. "The facility was also not big enough to accommodate the anticipated demand for broadcast truck and tour bus parking."
http://www.freep.com/story/news/loca...tion/28751039/
So it seems that they'll basically argue that trucks would have to park on adjacent side streets, most of which are planned to be lined with residential buildings. Though, other news articles do point out that there is no concrete time table for when these other developments are going to be built.
This whole issue is pretty much about Olympia trying to out-compete the Palace of Auburn Hills which is a very common venue for concerts and other events outside of basketball.