Plans For An Open-Air Falcons Stadium Causing Debate In Atlanta

• 9 months ago
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New Falcons Stadium: Project Cost Could Rise To $1.2 Billion

The site of the Atlanta Falcons new stadium is in need of improvements, which could drive the cost of the project all the way up to $1.2 billion. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, who supports the project, said a variety of upgrades to sidewalks, roads and other amenities could boost the project price to the larger sum, according to this report by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Reed apparently did not say that the estimated cost of the stadium itself would rise from $948 billion, but the city, state and Falcons organization are still going to need to come up with more cash for the project to be an overall success.

The current plan is to build a football stadium with a retractable-roof, but a decision on a location has not been announced and a final design has not been commissioned, the AJC report said.

For more on the Atlanta Falcons, be sure to check out The Falcoholic, SB Nation Atlanta and SB Nation's NFL page.

• 11 months ago
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New Falcons Stadium: Many Atlantans Oppose Funding Via Hotel Tax

The Atlanta Falcons are trying to get creative to fund a new retractable roof stadium in downtown Atlanta. Their latest plan involves using hotel-motel taxes to finance the new stadium.

While the Falcons and the Georgia World Congress Center Authority are having positive negotiations, some Atlantans do not approve.

"I don’t think public money should be used for that," said Lenard McLin, 52, who was among 625 people polled. "The Falcons are privately owned, so they should pay for it themselves.

"I live right downtown, so it’s not like I’m going to book a hotel room. If other visitors are here and they are paying for it, fine. But as a resident of Atlanta ... no, I don’t think we need it."

Sixty-seven percent of those polled disapproved of funding a new stadium through hotel-motel tax revenue, according to the poll conducted last week for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research.

For more on the Falcons, visit Atlanta Falcons site The Falcoholic.

• 12 months ago
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College Football Playoffs Just Another Reason Atlanta Needs A New Football Stadium

• about 1 year ago
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New Falcons Stadium: Experts Say Cost Could Exceed $1 Billion

The Atlanta Falcons may have underestimated the cost of the their new retractable stadium that was supposed to run at about $948 million. The Atlanta Journal Constitution sourced two professors who study stadium deals said estimates are generally low to make such projects palatable to governments and the public.

One sports management professor said he believed the Falcons are "trying to price point this so they can say that they can do this for just under $1 billion."

"One of the real rules in these analyses is they always underestimate cost," said J.C. Bradbury, chairman of the Health, Physical Education, and Sport Science department at Kennesaw State University.

"When they say it will cost $900 million, I'm thinking, ‘How much over a billion is it really going to be?‘"

The Georgia Dome that the Falcons use now is supposed to be demolished in the plan to build a new stadium.

Read more about the Falcons at The Falcoholic.

• about 1 year ago
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New Falcons Stadium: Retractable Roof, Georgia Dome Demolition Part Of New Plan

After discussing the possibility of building a new open-air stadium to operate in conjunction with the Georgia Dome, the World Congress Center Authority and the Atlanta Falcons have turned their attention to a plan that would build a new retractable-roof stadium and demolish the Georgia Dome. The new plan would cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $947.7 million.

That figure is significantly higher than the estimated $700 million that was revealed last summer. The reason for the increase was the inclusion of a retractable roof and the cost in demolishing the Georgia Dome. Up to approximately $300 million of the project would be funded by the state hotel-motel tax.

The plan doesn't call for the new stadium to be built on the existing dome site. It would instead be located at one of two possible destinations. By building elsewhere it would prevent the Falcons and other events from be dislodged during the construction.

For more on the Atlanta Falcons, be sure to check out The Falcoholic and SB Nation's NFL page.

• about 1 year ago
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Falcons' Plans For Open-Air Stadium Causing Issues, According To Report

The Atlanta Falcons' quest to play in an outdoor, open-air stadium with a grass field has been the intent of the organization since it began negotiations for a new facility with the Georgia World Congress Center over a year ago. Now the indoor/outdoor debate is the key sticking point, according to a report by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The crux of the issue is that the GWCC doesn't just serve the Falcons - it also has to keep events like the SEC football championship, various basketball events (such as the 2013 Final Four) and the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff and Bowl games in mind. While the Falcons organization is pushing for an open-air stadium, none of the aforementioned events want to leave domed stadiums.

The issue now - whether or not to revise the plans for a new stadium and add a retractable roof (thus upping the price of a new facility considerably), or maintain a dual-facility model with a new open-air stadium and the Georgia Dome, which would also drive prices up in maintaining both facilities, as well as scheduling particular events in each locale:

"Our [GWCC] campus already is very active, and oh, by the way, we’ve got a major arena [Philips] right across the street," Poe said. "So when you start trying to peel back the layers of the onion associated with how you make two stadiums work together, the complexity elevates substantially."

There is one good sign, regardless of confusion and debate over plans - the state legislature approved extending the Georgia hotel/motel occupancy tax (in Atlanta) from 2020 to 2050 to cover public funding for a new or renovated stadium on the GWCC grounds.

For more on the Atlanta Falcons, be sure to check out The Falcoholic and SB Nation's NFL page.

• over 1 year ago
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Super Bowl Trophy Presentations, The Georgia Dome, And A League Run By Plutocrats

In an alternate universe where the Falcons win the Super Bowl, would we rather have Arthur Blank or Matt Ryan accept the trophy? And what does the NFL's fixation on its owners as celebrities have to do with a new Falcons stadium?

• over 1 year ago
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Retractable Roof For New Falcons Stadium "Not Ruled Out"

The longer the Atlanta Falcons and the Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCC) negotiate on a new stadium for the team, the more it seems that a stadium with a retractable roof may be an option. The Falcons would prefer to have an open-air stadium and the GWCC wants an indoor stadium to host events like the SEC Championship game, the Chick-fil-A Bowl and the NCAA basketball Final Four. However, the longer talks last, or if it's not financially feasible to have two stadiums, the greater the chances of replacing the Georgia Dome with a new stadium that has a retractable roof or adding a retractable roof to the already existing stadium.

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

"Our energy has been focused on, ‘Can you do two stadiums? And can they work financially for all concerned?'" GWCC Authority executive director Frank Poe said in an interview with the AJC this week.

The GWCC did a study in 2010 and found that the Georgia Dome could be renovated to have a retractable roof for an estimated $200 million, but the Falcons desire a new, more lucrative outdoor stadium to play in once the bonds for the current stadium are payed off, which could happen by 2017. According to another GWCC study on an outdoor stadium built about half a mile north of the Georgia Dome, the estimate is it would cost $700 million. There has not yet been a study on a new retractable roof stadium.

Falcons team president Rich McKay sent the following email to the AJC explaining the team's stance:

"As we've said before, a variety of options have been on the table for quite some time, and none of them have been eliminated to date," McKay said in the email. "Our discussions have, to date, primarily focused on an open-air stadium. There are no new developments to share, so it's not appropriate for me to comment further than that."

Representatives from the Falcons and the GWCC meet monthly and will continue to do so until a decision is made. The major hurdle right now is trying to figure out a way to build a new stadium while keeping the Georgia Dome a "sustainable and viable entity."

For more on the Falcons, head to The Falcoholic.

• over 1 year ago
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New Falcons Stadium Could Soon Have Money Earmarked, According To Report

That new 65,000-seat, open-air Atlanta Falcons stadium, officially proposed almost a year ago, could shortly have money headed its way, based on insights by Creative Loafing's Thomas Wheatley into Governor Nathan Deal's 2012 budget proposal. CL cites a Georgia World Congress Center Authority spokesperson who says the $15 million in bond money could go toward parking or "the potential open-air stadium."

The thrust of the report is that the stadium, which had been proposed as an east-to-west facility, would need to be shifted to a north-and-south deal, as the NFL prefers for neither team to have the disadvantage of sending its offense straight into sunlight.

Interpret it how you'd like, but it does appear the move to make Atlanta a two-stadium town is being heavily considered. CL further reports the deal is as effectively done as it can be without anything actually happening.

For more on the Falcons, visit Atlanta Falcons site The Falcoholic.

• about 2 years ago
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Would New Falcons Stadium Guarantee Atlanta A Super Bowl? Roger Goodell: 'Hopefully'

Roger Goodell and Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank seem to get along fine, at least judging by Mr. Blank's public support of the ongoing (I think?) NFL lockout. Having previously said Atlanta needs a new football stadium in order to host another Super Bowl, the commissioner stuck to his guns during a Monday conference call with Blank and Falcons season-ticket holders.

Via ESPN's Pat Yasinkas:

The fan put Goodell on the spot and asked him to guarantee a Super Bowl if a new stadium comes to Atlanta. 

"I love the question,'' said Blank.

...

"You have a great community,'' Goodell said. "I think the stadium Arthur is talking about is going to be a great stadium. Hopefully, it will be a great host for the Super Bowl in the future.''

Not quite a guarantee, though that's not really Goodell's style anyway. It's become customary for new NFL stadiums to be awarded with Super Bowls, which perhaps explains a portion of Blank's desire to build an expensive new home for his team.

For more on the Falcons, join The Falcoholic.

• over 2 years ago
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New Falcons Stadium Prospect May Have SEC Championship Game Waiting And Seeing

As the Atlanta Falcons look over the latest open-air stadium proposal in their quest to find a new home, the SEC and Georgia Dome have agreed to keep the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta through 2017. That date is significant because a Falcons stadium built according to the latest proposal would be open for business in 2017.

While I haven’t seen anything in which the SEC has said they’d prefer to know more about Atlanta’s football stadium situation beyond 2017 before committing further, the dates do line up in a way that suggests it’s a consideration. It would certainly make sense anyway, at least.

The SEC Championship Game is a keeper. The conference loves the facility, and programs across the Southeast make it an annual goal to reach the Dome. Having the biggest non-national title game in college athletics call Atlanta its annual home is something nobody wants to see ended, and something those rushing to build a new stadium should be mindful of.

• over 2 years ago
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Proposed Atlanta Falcons Stadium Details: Sketches, Cost, Capacity, Size, And More

You can read the complete 134-page plan for the proposed new Atlanta Falcons stadium to be built north of the Georgia Dome, or you can allow me to provide you with the highlights. You already know the building would need to be built just north of the Georgia World Congress Center, that it would cost $700 million, and that it would not affect the Georgia Dome's standing, other than adapting the Dome to becoming primarily a trade show center rather than a football facility.

There are tons of notes on everything that could possibly go into the design of a football field, from locker room dimensions to the number of broadcast camera stations, but not much concept art or anything fun to look at, other than very basic designs like these:

Here are a few other items from the proposal:

Size: 25 acres for the entire facility, and 1.9 million square feet for the building itself. 

Capacity: The stadium would start out at 65,000, with room to expand to 75,000 for special events. That would include 54,000 regular-folk seats, 7,500 club seats, and 111 suites. Suites would range in size from 16 to 100 seats, and there would be room for another 1,250 seats worth of suites down the road. Say it five times fast!

Also, the press box would be able to house 165 writers, five radio broadcast teams, and a TV announcing setup.

Field: Natural grass. No more rubber pellet grass. Should also be up to FIFA standards, meaning Atlanta could host World Cup games.

Amenities: All the standards, plus a NFL Play 60 center for kids and a 23,000-square-foot Hall of Fame of some sort.

Parking: There are many, many pages on parking and traffic. I did not read any of them. One part does mention using the Georgia Dome's parking.

There's also a long section on altering the Georgia Dome for its new phase, including images like this:

• over 2 years ago
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New Atlanta Falcons Open-Air Stadium Could Be Built Along Northside Drive, According To Report

A new Atlanta Falcons stadium on Georgia World Congress Center property will be deemed feasible in a consultant’s report to be released Feb. 22, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Consulting agency Populous looked into the truck marshaling yard on GWCC land along Northside Drive, or this area right here.

The Falcons want an outdoor facility to replace the aging Georgia Dome, which really isn’t all that aged by anything but NFL standards. Among the efforts they’ve put forth in securing funds has been courting Jon Bon Jovi to invest in the team as a minority owner.

Other locations that have been reportedly in the running include that Doraville GM plant and the Georgia Dome’s current yellow parking lot.

At issue — besides the very, very big money thing and the location thing — is whether to renovate the Georgia Dome, build a new stadium in addition to the Dome, or build a new stadium to replace the Dome.

The latter is the least likely, as it would mean the town would lose chances at events like the SEC and NCAA basketball tournaments, be less likely to host a Super Bowl, and take away the city’s biggest all-season concert venue. Most football events could simply move across the street if need be. The SEC Championship Game and Chick-Fil-A Bowl aren't going anywhere.

An outdoor stadium would add to the list of events the city could host, including international soccer. A new football facility of any kind will boost the chances of an eventual Super Bowl according to the NFL’s new effort at rewarding debt-ladened construction, but the league will prefer an indoor building after Atlanta’s last Super Bowl was marred by snow.

• over 2 years ago
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Super Bowl 2011 Weather In Dallas Calls To Mind 2000 In Atlanta

• over 2 years ago
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World Cup To Atlanta Would Help Atlanta Falcons Get A New Stadium

If the 2022 World Cup is awarded to the United States, and Atlanta is selected to be one of 12 host cities, Arthur Blank will be a very happy man. The city has plenty of places for World Cup teams to practice, but no regulation soccer field up to FIFA’s certifications and large enough for a World Cup audience. Unless if we want the world to pile into that glorious Wiz Khalifa structure out by Town Center Mall.

I’d thought the Georgia Dome would be suitable, but it’s apparently too narrow. It’s wide enough for Matt Ryan to hit Michael Jenkins on an out to beat the Chicago Bears, but Qatar doesn’t care about the Chicago Bears.

It’s no secret the Atlanta Falcons want a new stadium — and don’t want to just add a retractable roof to the Dome, which would cost about as much as a whole new facility anyway. If Blank and company can point out that a new stadium could house both the World Cup and Atlanta’s eventual MLS team, they might be able to talk the city into building yet another pro sports stadium.

• almost 3 years ago
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Georgia World Congress Center Recommends Expanding Dome, Adding Retractable Roof -- For $550 Mil

The Georgia World Congress Center Authority has published a report on what to do about the Dome's future.

From the AJC:

An expanded Georgia Dome could have a retractable roof, offer twice the current number of club seats and add thousands more parking spaces to the 5,500 it has now.

The price tag: $349 million for construction costs and $200 million for a retractable roof. Design costs, project fees and parking decks could boost that number anywhere from 10 percent to almost double.

A $550 million cost isn't that far off from what it would take to build an entirely new stadium. Arizona's retractable-roof University of Phoenix Stadium, named by Business Week one of the world's 10 most impressive stadiums, cost at least $100 million less than the GWCCA's estimate -- and it features similar capacity, a retractable natural grass playing field, and variable event accommodations, plus it was built in a better economy.

You and I are no stadium architects, other than our SimCity 2000 experience, but you'd think the GWCCA could come up with a more attractive figure here, as they're trying to convince the Falcons to stay on the Congress Center site. Revamping an old stadium for more than the price of a new stadium would seem to be a head-scratching decision.