Atlanta United FC Thread (Marietta, Lithonia: real estate, rent, how much)

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by bu2

This is the type of thing that so frustrates people and makes them want to get away from DeKalb (and Fulton).

bu2 - You at least publicly acknowledge you're biased against Fulton and DeKalb and blindly pro-Cobb, right?

I don't like public spending on stadiums at any of the places but Cobb has spent more public money on their stadium than Fulton and DeKalb combined. To leave them off that list is a pretty big over sight. Not sure how you can defend being anything but biased.

[AcidSnake]

Originally Posted by jsvh

bu2 - You at least publicly acknowledge you're biased against Fulton and DeKalb and blindly pro-Cobb, right?

Now you know better than to expect that sort of honesty, jsvh.

It's all about scoring cheap political points and the zero-sum mindset with some folks 'round these here parts.

Balanced perspectives be darned.

[cwkimbro]

This has some hidden added costs to it too.

This area is kind of the Dekalb County government's industrial/unpleasant... stick it over there area. However, it is all necessary items for the government to function too. Much of it will need to be rebuilt/placed elsewhere.

Now Dekalb County has sought interest for awhile to re-do this area, so they might have already been thinking about these expenses anyways.

There have been a few infill development between this location and Avondale Estates. I'm sure the county would like to see that creep eastward and have been concerned about the negatives of the area holding it back.

Now if only there was a cheap magical way to move that ugly jail.

In the meantime they will need other storage areas for their DOT, Sanitation Department, and other misc. things.

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by jeoff

Only way that this is a good deal for Dekalb, is if it brings a lot new investment into the area, if not, they just spent 12 million bucks for soccer fields that they can only use part-time, and even more empty obsolete buildings along Memorial Drive in 30 years time.

I'm mainly concerned about cost alone.

The area is already a bit unpleasant. I see it more as... for at least 30 years something more pleasant will be there in a visible area (right behind the ugly jail :/ ) when the area needs it.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by jsvh

bu2 - You at least publicly acknowledge you're biased against Fulton and DeKalb and blindly pro-Cobb, right?

I don't like public spending on stadiums at any of the places but Cobb has spent more public money on their stadium than Fulton and DeKalb combined. To leave them off that list is a pretty big over sight. Not sure how you can defend being anything but biased.

No you are just blindly pro-Fulton and anti-Cobb.

I live in DeKalb. Its my tax $ that are being given away.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaPeanuts

Negatory. In COA we have a special hotel tax that is earmarked and can only be spent on things for tourists and conventions. Show where residents of CoA tax money went to the stadium.

Do you not understand the concept of taxes?

These are COA funds that are being given away to Arthur Blank to replace a perfectly functional stadium in order for him to make more money before the useful life of the stadium is done.

There's no difference between the Cobb $300 million and the Fulton $300 million. They're both unreasonable giveaways to replace stadiums with lots of useful life left.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by AcidSnake

Now you know better than to expect that sort of honesty, jsvh.

It's all about scoring cheap political points and the zero-sum mindset with some folks 'round these here parts.

Balanced perspectives be darned.

Some folks = AcidSnake and JSVH

[noah]

What was the alternative use? This land is next to the jail and in what most on here would consider a bad area, I'm surprised a professional sports team actually wanted to be in this area (even for practicing/headquarters).

[skbl17]

While I won't argue about being blindly pro-anything...

Originally Posted by bu2

I live in DeKalb. Its my tax $ that are being given away.

...I have to agree with bu2 here. When you live in a corrupt, mismanaged county for too long, it becomes hard to defend. The schools, Watershed Management, the roads, the county government itself...the only "bright" spot in DeKalb nowadays with regards to county-related government affairs is MARTA, and that agency is independent of the bigwigs in Decatur.

It's one thing to read about county corruption in the news. It's another thing to live through it.

It's not being "anti-" whatever. If being upset with the state of affairs in DeKalb is being "anti-DeKalb", then I guess I'm anti-DeKalb and will remain so until there's positive change in DeKalb County government.

- skbl17

[GeorgiaPeanuts]

Originally Posted by bu2

Do you not understand the concept of taxes?

These are COA funds that are being given away to Arthur Blank to replace a perfectly functional stadium in order for him to make more money before the useful life of the stadium is done.

There's no difference between the Cobb $300 million and the Fulton $300 million. They're both unreasonable giveaways to replace stadiums with lots of useful life left.

Sigh...

7% Hotel-Motel Tax – Fulton/Atlanta
O.C.G.A. 48-13-51(a)(5) provides that this tax may be levied at 7% and that a municipality levying this tax shall expend at least 32.14% of the levy for the purpose of:

(A) promoting tourism, conventions, and trade shows
(B) supporting a facility owned or operated by a state authority for convention and trade show purposes or any other similar or related purposes
(C) supporting a facility owned or operated by a local authority or local government for convention and trade show purposes or any other similar or related purposes
(D) supporting a facility owned or operated by a local government or local authority for convention and trade show purposes or any other similar or related purposes if construction of such facility is funded or was funded in whole or in part by a grant of state funds
(E) for some combination of such purposes

Amounts so expended shall be expended only through a contract or contracts with the state, a department of state government, a state authority, or a private sector nonprofit organization or through a contract or contracts with some combination of such entities, except that amounts expended for those purposes specified in subparagraphs (C) and (D) of this paragraph may be so expended in any otherwise lawful manner.

Tax revenues collected by this tax are distributed as follows: 22.5% to the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau; 28.56% to the City of Atlanta General Fund; 39.3% to debt service for the Georgia Dome; and 9.64% to the Georgia World Congress Center.

In 2010, the Georgia General Assembly approved an extension of the hotel-motel tax through December 31, 2050, contingent upon the 39.3% portion referenced above being used to fund a successor facility to the Georgia Dome on the property owned by the state authority and in connection with an agreement by a National Football League team to use the successor facility through the end of the extended tax period.

In 2011, the Georgia General Assembly approved an increase to the Fulton/Atlanta Hotel-Motel Tax from 7 percent to 8 percent. The extra one percent tax will be used for the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau to promote Atlanta as a convention and events destination.

It is probable that a small amount of residents stayed in Atlanta area hotels, but otherwise the public funding for the stadium came from a special hotel tax designed specifically to fund these types of projects for the tourism and convention industries. If you have a problem with the hotel tax being used for the stadium blame the State Legislature