Falcons can have new building — as long as they pay for it
The Georgia Dome is only 20 years old and just fine as a sports venue. (AJC photo)
This is the way it used to work in sports: Build a stadium for a sports team. Decades later, when it grew old and weathered and shingles began to fall from the roof and maybe the rats began to build condominiums, there would be discussion about tearing it down and starting over.
This is the way it works now in sports: Build a stadium for a sports team. A decade or two later (maybe), when the building ceases in its perceived ability to generate enough revenue for the sports owner, then it’s time to build a new one to make him happy.
There is an increasing likelihood that the Georgia Dome, which opened 20 years ago, is going to be torn down, giving way to a retractable roof stadium. The cost of the new palace: $947 million. This assumes it doesn’t go up (which it will) or Groupon doesn’t run a special on stadium seats and drink holders.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank has long ago expressed his desire for a new stadium, and as a general rule when self-made billionaires express an interest in something, they get it. Give the man credit for this: He’s probably going to pull this off without once alienating the public by threatening to move his team to Los Angeles, Toronto or London, or just selling it to Winnipeg. That’s not an easy feat.
As Blank has said to me on a few occasions about the stadium issue, “It’s kind of like making sausage.” In other words, it’s best to just enjoy the finished product rather than focus on the ugly details of how it came to be.
But there’s something wrong with this. There’s something wrong when a perfectly good building is scheduled to be detonated. There’s something wrong when even one taxpayer dollar – let alone $300 million – is used toward somebody’s football stadium. Do we have other economic issues, or is that all just a political smear campaign?
Blank, like any owner, wants to generate more revenue. (AP photo)
Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against the Falcons having a new stadium. I certainly have nothing against Blank, who has been as strong and beloved of a sports owner as this city ever has had. It’s difficult not to like Blank as a person, a businessman and a sports fan. He is passionate and generous. He is neither a corporate logo nor a buffoon, two things we see far too much of in sports ownership.
It’s also easy to understand Blank’s position on this: He can’t generate enough revenue in the Georgia Dome – enough being relative to the giant ATM-like stadiums that exist in Dallas, Washington and New York. The Georgia Dome doesn’t have enough suites, enough signage, enough martini bars. It’s the reason the Falcons’ overall value pales in comparison to that of other NFL franchises.
But the Georgia Dome is just fine for spectators. It’s just fine for teams. It’s just fine for a Final Four or a monster truck race or a trade show. Nobody is affected by the fact that it doesn’t make a sufficient “cha-ching” sound for the Falcons other than the Falcons’ owner.
New buildings are nice. But the Falcons are a private business, not a post office or a branch of government. I just happen to believe that business owners should pay for the building that houses their business. I know – such a quaint and novel thought.
It’s true that Blank and the Georgia World Congress Center Authority are going to be partners in this venture. But the fact remains that the GWCC would not be seeking a new building if the Falcons didn’t want one. It shouldn’t matter that the $300 million contribution for the proposed new stadium is coming from a hotel-motel sales tax and therefore not directly coming out of the pockets of most Atlanta residents. I’m just as angry any time I travel to another city and have to pay a tax for a stadium or arena there for the same reason.
Too many stadiums are being built today because cities are held hostage by sports franchises — and I say this somebody who grew up as a sports fan and makes their living covering the teams.
A new stadium would look lovely, yes. But the Georgia Dome isn’t a scar on downtown. Other areas of downtown are the scars. What’s being done about that? Would $300 million help?
The building isn’t crumbling. Our priorities are.
By Jeff Schultz
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460 comments Add your comment
Chaz
April 26th, 2012
2:04 pm
You guys worried about the hotel and motel tax? How many unfaithful married taxpayers in Atlanta could there be?
yeahsure
April 26th, 2012
2:08 pm
Not a fan of retractable roof stadiums. They are oddly shaped eyesores and dont let in enough light. They leave huge shadows on the field.
That being said, the GA Dome is not adequate. It looks horrible on television and the fan experience during the game is mediocre. Needs: better tailgating areas, better parking, better game-day environment outside of the dome. Encourage people to come early by giving them things to do besides falcons landing or better places to tailgate.
Turner Field is even worse when it comes to accessability and parking. C’mon Atlanta. Let’s do it right this time.
richard whiskey
April 26th, 2012
2:10 pm
pro sports teams only benefit A.billionaire owners B.millionaire players they damn sure don’t benefit me and you
yeahsure
April 26th, 2012
2:14 pm
oh yeah… please people, stop saying things like “i will not renew my season tickets, or buy tickets for another game”. I know most of the people that post this probably havent been to a single game in the past 5 years. It get’s old.
Go Falcons
Well said, Jeff
April 26th, 2012
2:14 pm
I agree 100%.
Mr
April 26th, 2012
2:16 pm
You nailed it JS.
Ozzy
April 26th, 2012
2:18 pm
I completely Agree there with you Jeff. It is like selling your son’s 3 year old Lexus to buy a new Mercedes for him. Falcons being the “spoiled Child” here just because they’ve made it to playoffs a few years in a row.
SteveC
April 26th, 2012
2:19 pm
There are NO — zero — unbiased feasibilitystudies that say spending ANY public funds on ANY stadiums/arenas is economically justified. We do NOT need to reallocate scarce tax dollars to private enterprise — especially one like the NFL that makes billions already. The “economic benefits” are far, far outweighed by 1) the additional, hidden costs like infrastructure changes and 2) the loss of tax dollars that could have been more wisely applied eslewhere.
KM
April 26th, 2012
2:28 pm
If a new open-air stadium (with or without a retractable roof) is to be built, then the Falcons ownership should foot the entire cost of building it. Arthur Blank’s ego has become almost as outrageous as Jerry Jones.
Jumpy Geathers
April 26th, 2012
2:31 pm
Blank’s high if he really, REALLY, thinks this is an ok thing to do when Atlanta has bigger transportation concerns that need to be fixed and on top of North Fulton pushing harder for separation to recreate Milton County.
Joe
April 26th, 2012
2:41 pm
This is exactly the mentality that explains why Atlanta will always be losersville……no support for anything…maybe if we take some of the money elected officials use to throw lavish parties and other waste of taxpayers dollars that have made the news lately, we could build a nice new stadium…….what a joke this article is…from a sportwriter no less…..
5150 UOAD
April 26th, 2012
2:54 pm
Arty needs a new Bigger Phallus to find a 20 something year old wife to marry him and pay for his last wife.
5150 UOAD
April 26th, 2012
2:55 pm
Joe
April 26th, 2012
2:41 pm
This is exactly the mentality that explains why Atlanta will always be losersville……no support for anything…maybe if we take some of the money elected officials use to throw lavish parties and other waste of taxpayers dollars that have made the news lately, we could build a nice new stadium…….what a joke this article is…from a sportwriter no less…
JOE you write a $20 million dollar check to get the ball rolling.
tmc
April 26th, 2012
3:02 pm
WHEN DO THE FALCONS LISTEN TO THE FANS?
The GA Dome location is horrible for a football stadium on many levels.
The GM Plant location by I-285 west of I-85 is a great location.
It would spark a lot of other business in the surrounding area.
It has a MARTA train line and would offer quick entrance/exits via I-285, PIB, I-85…
If the tax payers are on the hook for 1/3 the cost, how about they be heard?
The Ga Dome location sux beans and the only reason to rebuild there is so some corrupt people get paid… or the GWCC get’s a piece of the action and Not because it’s a good place for the team to play.
How about that article Jeff?
JSS
April 26th, 2012
3:02 pm
“Why not put it at the old GM site in Doraville?”
Ha ha, goes to prove that a seriously bizarre segment of AJC Bloggers never listen! Doraville said more than 2 years ago that the GM site is a no go, never going to happen as a stadium site!
http://atlanta.curbed.com/archives/2012/03/15/doraville-gm-plant.php
Don’t let the 21st century hit you in the head getting there!
ugakev from columbus
April 26th, 2012
3:06 pm
The Georgia Dome is a very nice place to watch a football game. The recent renovations I thought made the place alot more enjoyable. It’s crazy to even think that it is probably going to be demolished. The Braves need a new baseball stadium before the Falcons need a new football stadium and I am a bigger fan of the Falcons. We should build a smaller, true baseball stadium.
Buffy
April 26th, 2012
3:06 pm
2000% correct Jeff. 300 mill would go a long way to cleaning up Northside Drive, Jones Ave and all of the thugs prowling the area. i’ve been a Falcon fan since 1967, season ticket holder at Atl Fulto Cnty Stadium. Got out when the Dome priced me out. Outlandish to need a new stadium. The Dome is barely broken in.
JSS
April 26th, 2012
3:08 pm
Moreover, the DOT would have to spend at least 4 years remapping exit ramps (and you need at least 6 of those) to get traffic to work at that site in Doraville… You guys are deluded saying that it is easier traffic wise! Buford Hwy and Peachtree Industrial are already a mess during rush hour, and don’t let an accident happen!!! Ha ha, that’s crazy talk!
reckingball
April 26th, 2012
3:12 pm
The people that run this country, and state are going to do what the rich folks want them to do.
5150 UOAD
April 26th, 2012
3:12 pm
If we as TAX PAYERS are on the HOOK then fix the water and sewer systems or build MARTA to Kennesaw State University and to the University of Georgia. Those projects benefit Tax Payers more than a PLAYGROUND.
Buffy
April 26th, 2012
3:12 pm
5150 UOAD -Right on point. But Artie has you beat…word has it he is divorcing his young wife (that he married away fro HD store number 321 paint department by leaving his first wife) so he can now continue boinking his 26 year old personal trainer. Just a big ego with endless cash.
reckingball
April 26th, 2012
3:14 pm
Or should I say that the rich folks run this state and country, and they are going to do whatever they want to do.
Sid
April 26th, 2012
3:18 pm
king dawg April 26th, 2012 12:54 pm
Sid…no one wants to ride MATRA! Get it? Besides, it isn’t the stadium keeping Super Bowls out of Atlanta..it’s downtown Atlanta keeping Super Bowls away. Ride MARTA! Really? Decent people with a choice won’t.
************************************************************
king dawg (but I’ll bet that’s entirely contradictory), you are certainly entitled to get to the stadium anyway you want or can afford. Do you own a car? Can you get limo service? No one wants to ride Matra (sp)?? It is an option and the Doraville GM site sits within eye sight of a Marta station and a whole bunch of “decent people” as you put it already take Marta to the games at the GA Dome. So if it’s downtown Atlanta keeping the Superbowl out maybe Doraville is a good option. Say it with me baby, “The Doraville Falcons” ………….lol……….!!!
5150 UOAD
April 26th, 2012
3:23 pm
SID…….when talking or typing to King dWag you have to misspell every 3rd word so he can read it. His UGa diploma is printed on Toilet Paper.
Milburn Drysdale
April 26th, 2012
3:26 pm
I believe Arthur is just wanting to “keep up with the Jones’s”
PMC
April 26th, 2012
3:27 pm
If you buy a PSL you’re a sucker.
PMC
April 26th, 2012
3:28 pm
tmc – I believe the city of doraville put the kybosh on that location. I don’t think they like money.
tmc
April 26th, 2012
3:28 pm
JSS- just because someone says no the first time doesn’t mean it’s no everytime.
It’s called business. Now that a few ideas have failed to materialize in Doraville, it might be time to revisit. No means no right now. Not forever.
But don’t let logic get in the way of a good name calling opportunity.
DePort
April 26th, 2012
3:30 pm
Can someone please tell me how much money came out of your pockets when the dome was built in the early 90s? This stadium is being built on the hotel tax from the state. How many hotels do you stay in in your own state, so the stadium is actually being built by everyone else coming to Georgia from out of state. Why is this such a horrible idea? Once the stadium is built we will generate a Billion dollars from having the super bowl here, again what is wrong with this picture?
Sid
April 26th, 2012
3:35 pm
JSS April 26th, 2012 3:08 pm
Moreover, the DOT would have to spend at least 4 years remapping exit ramps (and you need at least 6 of those) to get traffic to work at that site in Doraville… You guys are deluded saying that it is easier traffic wise! Buford Hwy and Peachtree Industrial are already a mess during rush hour, and don’t let an accident happen!!! Ha ha, that’s crazy talk!
*****************************************************
Ha ha yourself…………this is your highest rated post for low mentality ever JSS. Obviously you are not an engineer. Most games are on Sunday thereby reducing traffic period. How many exits do you count for the GA Dome? You don’t have to worry about the traffic also trying to use the same routes to get to Braves and Hawks games playing at times that lapover. The DOT would have to spend at least 4 years remapping exit ramps ……….??? C’mon JSS, you really had to reach way up there to pull this one out of your butt.
Sid
April 26th, 2012
3:41 pm
PMC April 26th, 2012 3:28 pm
tmc – I believe the city of doraville put the kybosh on that location. I don’t think they like money.
*********************************************
Actually, when DeKalb County saw the $$$ signs and the potential they put the “kybosh” on Doraville, at least that was the last info I heard. The site has been looked at for a mixed-use development but to my knowledge no investor group has jumped on board.
Rowdy_Red_Pachyderm
April 26th, 2012
3:50 pm
Man, talk about cheap skates….
The GA Dome or our home stadium away from home is the oldest smallest stadium in the NFL and half the size of Bryant Denny and half as modernized.
I wish the Falcons would come on over to Tuscaloosa for a couple of games a year and then we would fill that thing up and possibly get them over the Hump for a Superbowl victory.
Sid
April 26th, 2012
3:52 pm
5150 UOAD April 26th, 2012 3:23 pm
SID…….when talking or typing to King dWag you have to misspell every 3rd word so he can read it. His UGa diploma is printed on Toilet Paper.
*************************************************
Easy now, he is the king dawg!!
Just wanted to mention info I found on the SEC CG economic impact:
The annual event has generated over $702 million of economic impact to the city of Atlanta since 2000, an average of nearly $64 million per year.
The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game will open the 2012 college football season with the first-ever double hosting of marquee, BCS-style games on back-to-back days in the same venue.
On the Chick-fil_A Kickoff Classic:
The first game will feature NC State versus Tennessee on Friday, Aug. 31. The second game will pit Auburn against Clemson on Saturday, Sept. 1.
Between the two games, more than 145,000 fans are expected to be in Atlanta to celebrate the opening of the 2012 season and be a part of history. All four teams and their fans will be in Atlanta at the same time, creating a college football celebration of epic proportions. The pair of Chick-fil-A Kickoff Games is expected to generate more than $60 million in economic impact.
The Superbowl generates up to $500,000.000.00. That’s half a billion.
Sid
April 26th, 2012
3:56 pm
Buffy April 26th, 2012 3:12 pm
Artie has you beat…word has it he is divorcing his young wife (that he married away fro HD store number 321 paint department by leaving his first wife) so he can now continue boinking his 26 year old personal trainer. Just a big ego with endless cash.
*****************************************************
You sound terribly jealous.
Cohutta Dawgman
April 26th, 2012
3:58 pm
Let’s make a deal with Arthur. Falcons win a Super Bowl and then we’ll talk about a new stadium. How about that?
shoe glue
April 26th, 2012
4:00 pm
MARTA will have to go to ANY stadium built. the Workers will have to get there too and most need MARTA.
Put it on Cherokee county, hire Cherokee county workers, keep Marta out of it.
JSS
April 26th, 2012
4:03 pm
SId, that is not how traffic flow studies are done… 1. You just don’t sit down a 70,000 seat stadium in an potential EPA super site area. 2. DOT said during the public forums held during the redevelopment hearings that were held what would be needed to handle that kind of traffic flow on a game day. 3. The Marta station would have to be doubled in size to handle the game capacity. 4. That land is going to cost nearly $60 million dollars. 5. For as much as the NFL has lambasted Atlanta for the last Super Bowl ice storm debacle, the Dallas Super Bowl disaster made the need the for proximity hotels and airport location a priority… You are just wasting time and effort trying to anyone back on that Doraville stadium… DeKalb County is a secondary player in the Doravile redevelop process. The city of Doraville holds the keys. Learn when to let a lost cause go!!!
Stick to calling people names…
Sid
April 26th, 2012
4:03 pm
JSS April 26th, 2012 3:02 pm
Ha ha, goes to prove that a seriously bizarre segment of AJC Bloggers never listen! Doraville said more than 2 years ago that the GM site is a no go, never going to happen as a stadium site!
http://atlanta.curbed.com/archives/2012/03/15/doraville-gm-plant.php
Don’t let the 21st century hit you in the head getting there!
******************************************************************
The link you reference says nothing about Doraville saying anything about the GM site, much less “never going to happen”. If anything it reinforces what I said about DeKalb County taking the reins.
Marvelous Mark
April 26th, 2012
4:04 pm
What is you people’s obsessiion with MARTA? Who gives a rats azz about where MARTA runs or doesn’t run. Atlanta would be better off if MARTA went fewer places.
sar
April 26th, 2012
4:07 pm
So let me get this straight. In the 1960’s, Atlanta was able to build a stadium that was used by 2 teams for over 30 years. Then in the 1990’s, they built a stadium that is used by 1 team for 20 years. Is there any reason for me not to believe that in the 2020’s they will want a another new one after 10 years. Just another reason to get a nice HDTV (or two), surround sound and enjoy the games with a better view than any of the people watching from the billion dollar sink hole.
5251 DAOU
April 26th, 2012
4:10 pm
MARTA is a human right. Like health care. And free cell phones. And Hoverounds.
JSS
April 26th, 2012
4:11 pm
“Remapping:” the physical acquisition of right of ways, getting federal approval and local approval of the reconfiguration of the “federal highway system or interchange.” By the time that whole process takes place, it will take 4 years! Don’t believe me, ask anyone involved in the outer perimeter project why they’ve never finished it? Stick that up yours!!!
Milburn Drysdale
April 26th, 2012
4:18 pm
Rowdy Red, until the USFL comes back…keep on dreamin
5150 UOAD
April 26th, 2012
4:21 pm
To the people that Hate MARTA either you have NEVER traveled in Europe of big cities like NY or Chicago.
JSS
April 26th, 2012
4:26 pm
Geez Louise, are you that straight crazy or just purely lazy? Since shooting down the original Doraville stadium overtures in October of 2009, Doraville has said “no!” What don’t you understand about the separation between “county powers” and “city powers?” They don’t want a stadium in their backyard! DeKalb County can’t magically force that stadium unless the legislature passes a special constitutional amendment. They it has to pass in a county wide special election giving them the power to supersede their city charter and the rights to govern their city as they see fit! Goodness, it is dead!!!
JoeFan
April 26th, 2012
4:26 pm
All the Atlanta Sports franchises keep telling me that these are my teams. If they are my teams, when are they going to give me a say in how they are run and start paying me dividends? There will be a new stadium but that doesn’t make it right. Life will go on whether Atlanta has any professional sport franchises. It is way past time for this country to get its priorities in order.
5251 DAOU
April 26th, 2012
4:29 pm
The overall crime numbers for MARTA for fiscal 2011 showed 48 robberies, 83 aggravated assaults, 216 larcenies and 63 auto thefts.
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/article/Stats-show-rise-in-MARTA-robberies-2448988.php#ixzz1tBEUnM8b
crime stats in my car for 2011: 0 robberies, 0 agg assaults, 0 larcenies, 0 auto thefts…of course, I don’t transport life’s losers and keep a Sig 9mm to keep the peace.
5251 DAOU
April 26th, 2012
4:32 pm
gotta go…toodles yall…
Sid
April 26th, 2012
4:36 pm
SId, that is not how traffic flow studies are done… 1. You just don’t sit down a 70,000 seat stadium in an potential EPA super site area. 2. DOT said during the public forums held during the redevelopment hearings that were held what would be needed to handle that kind of traffic flow on a game day. 3. The Marta station would have to be doubled in size to handle the game capacity. 4. That land is going to cost nearly $60 million dollars. 5. For as much as the NFL has lambasted Atlanta for the last Super Bowl ice storm debacle, the Dallas Super Bowl disaster made the need the for proximity hotels and airport location a priority… You are just wasting time and effort trying to anyone back on that Doraville stadium… DeKalb County is a secondary player in the Doravile redevelop process. The city of Doraville holds the keys. Learn when to let a lost cause go!!!*********************************************************
When did I make any comment about how traffic flow studies are done? What you are referencing isn’t about a stadium, it’s about the entire redevelopment, and, if it is developed for TOD principles. This is a 165 acre tract………..the GA Dome sits on 9.19 acres. Several planned projects and proposed plans have been developed for the study area due to its proximity to I-85 and I-285. Georgia
Department of Transportation (GDOT) and the Transit Planning Board (TPB) both have regional concept plans for multi-transit improvements in or adjacent to the area:
http://thedoravilleproject.com/thesite.html
An EPA super site area? Where do you come up with this stuff………………..
The Dallas Super Bowl disaster? They had a winter storm a week before the game, flights got in and out, people got to their hotels. Some ice fell off of a roof. That’s a disaster.
southern hope
April 26th, 2012
4:37 pm
so tired of these MARTA discussions….I’ve been taking MARTA 5 days a week for 3 years. I love it. Yes, it goes nowhere but whose fault is that? For folks like me (who can walk to the station & get off right at my downtown office), it’s an amazing system. Except for its lack of access, its actually nicer than the NYC or DC subway….and not much worse than BART (and I’ve used all 3).