New Atlanta Falcons Stadium (trees, area, architects)

[Jillgineer]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Sen. Fort, alumni say 'scandalous' stadium dealings are threat to Morris Brown - Atlanta Business Chronicle

The taxpayers of Atlanta had better hope that the article isn't correct. If the city interfered in a business relationship between Morris Brown and the company that wanted to develop some of their property, that's grounds for a lawsuit. The city could have come in and outbid the company but if they've put pressure on the company to bow out in order to deny Morris Brown an opportunity, that's wrongful interference. Not only could the city end up paying Morris Brown damages for the lost opportunity but the court could also issue an injunction to prevent the city from any further interference in Morris Brown's affairs.

[gtcorndog]

Originally Posted by brownhornet

Now you want to change your argument from the dome not being a good place to tailgate to being impressed? LOL, You GT people are good at academics but really struggle in the social part of life.

There might be isolated pockets of good tailgating around the dome, but this isn't enough to classify the Dome area as having a good tailgating scene. Would you use this standard for anything else? There are some nice houses in Detroit, but would you consider Detroit to be a nice city? I wouldn't. It is the sum of the parts that are used to classify the whole. There are some good tailgates, but overall, the area is not very conducive for good tailgating and the area lacks a tailgating scene that is found in the other NFL stadiums I've gone to games at (Pittsburgh, Green Bay, Cleveland, Philly, DC, NY, KC, New England, Dallas, Houston and Denver). My list represents over 1/3rd of all NFL stadiums and I think that is a big enough sample size to make an assessment that Atlanta offers a below average tailgating environment.

Again, this shouldn't be a hard concept to understand.

[westau]

Originally Posted by Mischief8

Why not tailgate in a park instead of in a parking lot. Seems to me that building a new neighborhood park would benefit gameday tailgaters and the community in which the park exists. A neighborhood gets very little use out of a 100 acre parking lot that only holds cars 25 days a year.

It is nice to be able to tailgate in green space IF it is right next to parking, otherwise not many would utilize it because of the hassle of hauling coolers/tents/grills/whatever to tailgate.

If it was me though I would be for more green space on top of underground parking. For NFL stadiums I don't really see a ton of people in Atlanta tailgating anyway with all the 1pm start times. NFL tailgating is nothing compared to college tailgating here.

Originally Posted by arjay57

Sen. Fort, alumni say 'scandalous' stadium dealings are threat to Morris Brown - Atlanta Business Chronicle

Let's be honest, lots of things are a threat to Morris Brown staying open. They have less than 100 students and are under bankruptcy already. They need to just close for good and be done with it. They already got a $9.4 million handout from the federal government according to that article and that wasn't enough to get them out of debt so let's stop propping them up and move on.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by Atlwarrior

You know we can all post comments until we are blue in face. Bottom line Arthur Blank like Downtown, so no further discussion needed.

This. And now that Friendship Baptist Church has tentatively agreed to terms for their property, the south site is all but a done deal.

[arjay57]

I was just watching the news and Channel 2 is again reporting that the city of Atlanta has agreed to purchase one of the churches and is negotiating to buy the other one. The mayor was on this broadcast and he did not deny it.

Why on earth is the city of Atlanta continuing to inject itself into this scenario and spend platinum level taxpayer money to buy property that will be owned by the state of Georgia? The GWCC agreed from Day One to acquire the property, and from what I've read the state and the Falcons are fine with the north site anyway. (Which the state already owns).

This is a classic example of how government projects go completely off the rails once they get started. $10 million an acre to buy property for a billionaire and the state of Georgia? $150 million for a school with a 60% graduation rate?

Any chance we might find a few spare dollars for crosswalks? Or a kids' playground? Maybe some sidewalks???

[Mossberg]

My understanding has always been that the mayor and the City have been negotiating FOR Blank and the Falcons (ie, using Blank's money). I have also heard the news incorrectly reporting that the city of Atlanta has purchased Friendship. There is a lot of misleading info being spread.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by Mossberg

My understanding has always been that the mayor and the City have been negotiating FOR Blank and the Falcons (ie, using Blank's money). I have also heard the news incorrectly reporting that the city of Atlanta has purchased Friendship. There is a lot of misleading info being spread.

This is correct.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by Gulch

This is correct.

Well, I've read that on this discussion board, yet the media continues to report that it's the city of Atlanta that's buying the land.

Has the mayor or anyone else at the city ever said otherwise?

[Lady's Man]

City officials have reached a $19.5 million deal on behalf of the Atlanta Falcons to buy Friendship Baptist Church, one of two churches key to the new Falcons stadium being built on the preferred “south site,” Mayor Kasim Reed said Tuesday.

$19.5 million deal lands stadium church | www.ajc.com

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by Lady's Man

$19.5 million deal lands stadium church | www.ajc.com

From that article:

Reed did not say whether the city has identified private funds, such as additional dollars from Falcons owner Arthur Blank, that could help secure Mount Vernon. But he said he’s asked former mayor Ambassador Andrew Young to mediate talks between the church and state officials should they resume.

A spirited Reed also said he has long been a supporter of a new stadium despite public sentiment and has suffered political consequences for it, noting he’s “taken as many scars and hits and bruises as anybody in this stadium process.”

He said Tuesday the Falcons should support his efforts for the stadium to be built on the south location, but stopped short of calling them to fund any portion of the Mount Vernon deal.