Tag Archives: Atlanta Falcons

Revive communities by designing new Falcons stadium on a human scale

Date: March 17th, 2013, 11:05 pm

Part Two: A new football stadium and the surrounding communities

If the first time you don’t succeed, try again.

When the Georgia Dome was developed 23 years ago, setting aside $10 million for the adjacent community — including an $8 million housing trust fund — was seen as a way to address the area’s multiple problems.

But two decades later, the situation has only gotten worse. Population has declined from about 9,000 to 3,000. Nearby blocks that used to be filled with homes are now boarded up or vacant lots, some victims of flooding that could have been caused by run-offs from downtown developments including the convention center and the Georgia Dome.
Continue reading →

Common Cause opposes public funding for new Falcons stadium

Date: February 1st, 2013, 2:55 pm

By Maria Saporta

Common Cause Georgia will do all it can to prevent any public funds from being used to build a new stadium for the Atlanta Falcons.

Willam Perry, executive director of Common Cause Georgia, said at the Sustainable Atlanta Roundtable meeting Friday morning that his organization was going to try to get a bill introduced to stop the hotel-motel tax from being used to finance the proposed $1 billion stadium.

In the 2010 session, the General Assembly authorized that the hotel-motel tax collected in the City of Atlanta’s and in unincorporated Fulton County could be extended to build a new stadium as long as it was built on property owned by the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC).
Continue reading →

Posted in Latest Reports | Tagged Atlanta Falcons, Common Cause Georgia, General Assembly, Georgia World Congress Center, GWCC, SART, Sustainable Atlanta Roundtable meeting | 5 Comments

Atlanta Falcons have helped revive community spirit — win or lose

Date: January 21st, 2013, 10:47 am

By Maria Saporta

The energy — and the tension — in the Georgia Dome on Sunday captures a feeling that has been lost in recent years — a feeling of being in the game.

The last five years have been tough for Atlanta, a city used to being an economic star in the country. The Great Recession hit Atlanta harder than most other cities because it targeted the real estate and banking — two industries that had helped build Atlanta.

And yet, during Sunday’s game between the Atlanta Falcons and the San Francisco 49ers, the city’s troubles are put aside as people rallied behind a team that is only one win away from the Super Bowl.
Continue reading →

Posted in Latest Reports, Uncategorized | Tagged Arthur Blank, Atlanta Falcons, community, spirit, Super Bowl | 2 Comments

Builders of Falcons stadium may have to hire low-income city residents

Date: January 13th, 2013, 11:09 pm

With debate looming over construction funding for a Falcons stadium, another issue is taking shape – this one over who will get hired for construction jobs.

The Atlanta City Council is considering legislation to require eligible construction contracts funded by the city to employ a certain proportion of unemployed and under-employed residents of Atlanta. The proposal requires the workers to be either skilled, or in an approved training program.

The legislation does not specify whether its scope would reach to include the hotel/motel tax, which is set by the city council. The tax is now planned to help pay for construction of the new stadium that is to have a retractable roof.
Continue reading →

Posted in David Pendered | Tagged Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Falcons stadium, Falcons stadium | 1 Comment

Atlanta Falcons, young dancers score points on sheer resolve

Date: December 26th, 2011, 4:55 pm

The work ethic and energy of the dancers from Moving in the Spirit is remarkable.

Every day they are moving against the tide of childhood obesity, too common in poorer neighborhoods. Their personal work ethic contrasts to the cheating educators in the Atlanta Public Schools, where many of these dancers learn.

Their Holiday Store helps teach them financial literacy and credit lessons that too few of us grasp.
Continue reading →