New Atlanta Falcons Stadium (condo, hotels, home)

[nrgpill]

nobody is against a transportation project that makes sense, but therein lies the issue. I have no problem paying for marta as a fulton county resident but I would be lying to you if I were to tell you that I get my money's worth. I found out years ago that it is best to live where such issues have already been encountered and done something about, and life is too short to worry about faraway residents and their "preferences" (libertarian kick?). I even tell my parents they're gonna have to move in closer if they want to see us more often.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by cqholt

It is still completely unfair for billionaires, like Jerry Jones and Arthur Blank, to ask citizens to help pay for a stadium when the owner will reap all the ticket sales, parking revenue, and concession sales.

Yeah, but those rich guys are having a hard time in the current economic climate.

Oh, wait ... they aren't:

The 1% Captures Most Growth From Recovery - The Wealth Report - WSJ

[JoeP]

It is an idea that a free-spending liberal politician has dreamed up.

Do you know who the owners are? You think that they are liberal?

[atltechdude]

There's nothing wrong with the stadium. They don't need a new one, would be a waste of resources better spent elsewhere.

[FlyiMetro]

Originally Posted by atltechdude

There's nothing wrong with the stadium. They don't need a new one, would be a waste of resources better spent elsewhere.

They want a SuperBowl....not exactly sure who "They" are but they wont one. I like the Georgia Dome, I think its a nice field, plus I think its kinda wack how there is pressure for Atlanta to update but Miami & New Orleans never do. Niether of those cities have those space station stadiums like Dallas, Phoenix & New York.

[gtcorndog]

Originally Posted by FlyiMetro

They want a SuperBowl....not exactly sure who "They" are but they wont one. I like the Georgia Dome, I think its a nice field, plus I think its kinda wack how there is pressure for Atlanta to update but Miami & New Orleans never do. Niether of those cities have those space station stadiums like Dallas, Phoenix & New York.

Miami did $250 million in renovations prior to the 2007 season and is putting a plan together to further renovate further to keep it in the running for future Super Bowls.

New Orleans just pumped in another $80+ million into their stadium recently on top of over $250 million post-Katrina renovations.

Both of those cities might lack Dallas-like stadiums, but they have entertainment districts that are unmatched by Atlanta.

[arjay57]

First the bad news. A new Falcons stadium is estimated to cost $948 million in 2014 dollars.

The good news is that this isn't that much more than retrofitting the Georgia Dome with new seats, new suites and a new retractable roof, which would cost $859.3 million in 2014 dollars.

Populous: New Falcons stadium would cost $948 million - Atlanta Business Chronicle

[toll_booth]

Wow.

Retrofitting the Georgia Dome, which opened in 1992, with new seats, new suites and a new retractable roof would cost $859.3 million in 2014 dollars. The retractable roof alone would cost nearly $200 million. And even with new seating, the dome is not configured in such a way to physically hold the Falcons’ desired numbers of higher-priced seats.

Based on that, we might as well go for a brand-new stadium.

And that's not all:

Plus, the report noted the four years of projects it would take to add better and more club seating, new suites and a retractable roof to the Georgia Dome would mean long stretches of closures at the dome, leaving the Falcons homeless during parts of their football seasons and leaving the GWCCA without an arena to stage large events.

The logistical problems and $88.4 million cost difference between the retrofitted and new stadium plans led Populous to suggest building a new stadium for the Falcons and tearing down the Georgia Dome.

Given the choice, I really don't think there is much of a choice.

Now here's something really interesting:

But now a new site gaining favor is the area immediately south of Georgia Dome and just west of the Gulch, which itself could be redeveloped into a mixed-use complex centered around a bus and rail terminal.

Wow. Could this be a chance to build a complex like Madison Square Garden and Penn Station, but with a 21st-century flair? Man--this could get really awesome, really quickly! But it won't be cheap.

[ToucheGA]

I agree with the dissenting opinion regarding a new stadium. Using millions or billions of taxpayer dollars to build a sports complex just so we can have the possibility of a super bowl or two is ridiculous. If we can solve a few bigger problems (e.g. 20,000 homeless citizens), I may be more inclined to listed to luxury proposals such as this.

This may be a stubid question, by why is the Dome not a viable option for a super bowl? Seating capacity (70,000)?

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by ToucheGA

I agree with the dissenting opinion regarding a new stadium. Using millions or billions of taxpayer dollars to build a sports complex just so we can have the possibility of a super bowl or two is ridiculous. If we can solve a few bigger problems (e.g. 20,000 homeless citizens), I may be more inclined to listed to luxury proposals such as this.

This may be a stubid question, by why is the Dome not a viable option for a super bowl? Seating capacity (70,000)?

It is my understanding that getting a couple of Super Bowls would just be a bonus. Arthur Blank's primary contention for a new stadium has been the economics of running and paying for the team--which costs a lot. All those luxury boxes, clubs, and other bells and whistles that the new stadiums have are real moneymakers.