This is old news to many of you, but early this week a big announcement put Doraville back in the spotlight. The AJC reported that Sembler & Co — the only developer still negotiating with GM for their former Doraville plant — has floated a proposal to build a new football stadium for the Falcons on the site.
In most cities I’ve traveled to, the areas around sports arenas have been wastelands that people don’t feel safe driving through. They increase traffic & inconvenience nearby residents. I personally doubt that a stadium would do much to improve property values for current homeowners in this area.
What is interesting is how this idea has created some strange bedfellows. City councilman, Bob Roche has come out in favor of the idea as has his opponent in the last council race, Chris Avers. The other council people seem to be keeping their mouths shut for now, although on one message board councilman Spangler’s wife made a comment that this proposal is essentially vindication for Tom Hart, proving he was right about the way to “revitalize” the city.
This is fairly big news – even being discussed on this morning’s Georgia Gang. What do you think about the proposal? Is this the best use of the land the GM plant sits on? Is it realistic? Will it be the best thing for Doraville’s current residents? Since most of these developments are subsidized by local governments, I think that makes Doraville an especially unlikely spot for this stadium.