ATLANTA
Officials have broken ground on the site of the new Atlanta stadium. The $1.2 billion multi-purpose, state-of-the-art sports and entertainment facility will aim to enhance Atlanta’s compact convention corridor and further position Atlanta as a top-tier destination for large-scale meetings and events.
“Today we are breaking ground on one of our city’s next iconic landmarks in the heart of downtown Atlanta,” said Mayor Kasim Reed at the recent event. “The new stadium will create jobs, enable us to compete for world-class sports events and draw even more visitors to support our city’s $13 billion convention and tourism industry.”
The 1.8 million-square-foot stadium augments the Georgia World Congress Center Authority’s (GWCCA) three-facility campus, which is currently home to the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC), Centennial Olympic Park, and the Georgia Dome.
“In addition to serving as the home for the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta’s new MLS team, we expect to host 70-80 events in the stadium annually, including large citywide conventions and major sporting events,” said William Pate, president and CEO, Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Scheduled to open in 2017, the new stadium will feature a first of its kind retractable roof configuration with an open air concourse and incorporate the latest in sustainable and LEED advancements in design, construction and operations.
The groundbreaking event signified continued development for Atlanta’s downtown convention corridor. This year alone, more than $1.5 billion in new attractions, hotels, retail and transit will open in Atlanta, including the Center for Civil and Human Rights, College Football Hall of Fame and a new Atlanta Streetcar. In addition to the new stadium, the GWCCA recently submitted a proposal to build an 800- to 1,000-room convention hotel on the GWCC campus, which could open as early as 2019.
