Friday, October 23, 2009

Doraville Doesn't Want Falcoms

((HT: AJC/Hunt))

It may be a touch of country in the city, but if the Doraville mayor holds any weight, the vacant land that was floated as the idea won't be floated anymore...

In a unanimous vote earlier this week, the City Council rejected what it said is a conceptual plan being pushed by DeKalb County: Build the NFL team a new stadium where a shuttered General Motors plant now stands near I-285 and MARTA rail.

“The county seems to think a stadium would be a wonderful thing,” Doraville Mayor Ray Jenkins said. “Our citizens overwhelmingly are not for that.”

DeKalb Chief Executive Officer Burrell Ellis said the county does not favor any concept, including a stadium. Rather, he remains open to any ideas that meet his goals of restoring 4,000 jobs lost when the factory closed in 2008 and puts the property back on the tax rolls.

"It becomes difficult to say no to any idea when we haven't seen any concrete plans," Ellis said. "There is nothing on paper yet."

The GM plant held 165 acres right next to Interstate 285 in northeast Atlanta. The Doraville City Council is worried about placing everything on the property: field, practice facilities, and administrative offices.

As Brother Phil admitted, that was probably news to the current town that houses the practice facility and offices way north. The town of Flowery Branch cut the Falcons a sweet deal to move up there long-term.

Those of us at OSG HQ think that would make for interesting public wars of words.

We know that Falcons owner Arthur Blank wants a new building by the time the bonds on the Dome are paid off- 2015 or sooner, but no later than 2020. And he needs a new building even after all the capital improvements that Blank has personally invested in...

To end a sentence in a preposition...

For your weekend music selection, we remind you of what the Atlanta Rhythm Section meant to rock and roll in the '70s and '80s...

It ain't much, but it's home...

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