The Atlanta Falcons could play their home games in a new, $700 million, open-air stadium built just north of the Georgia World Congress Center while the Georgia Dome remains intact, according to a plan published by Populous, a Kansas City architecture firm. That’s the same outfit that designed the Dome, Philips Arena, and like every other building that has anything to do with pro sports. 

The proposal would require 25 acres worth of land, meaning it would take up what’s currently the Dome’s yellow parking lot and the GWCC’s truck marshaling yard. There are still a couple of other minor construction considerations, but there’s the proposal.

That price tag is $150 million more than it would cost to renovate the Dome, which would include adding a retractable roof.

Either solution, while insanely expensive, would allow the Dome’s many non-football tenants to keep using the facility. The Falcons would get to play outdoors, while the SEC Championship Game and Chick-Fil-A Bowl would likely remain indoors.

ht Atlanta Business Journal