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.