CID to study Olympic stadium's potential

By Shane Blatt

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Evermore Community Improvement District is one step closer in its quest to save the time-worn Olympic tennis stadium in Stone Mountain.

The Atlanta Regional Commission has awarded the CID a $40,000 grant to study the revitalization of the Park Place area, including the tennis venue slated for demolition in 2011.

The study, which will get matching CID funds, will look at the long-term viability of transforming the stadium into a multipurpose facility and the area into a multimodal transportation hub.

Already, the south Gwinnett association of commercial property owners has conducted an economic impact study on the stadium, which straddles Gwinnett and DeKalb counties. The study showed that turning it into a multipurpose facility could bring $100 million over the next 10 years in additional jobs and commerce for the corridor, board member Kenny King has said.

"At the end of the day, we want the stadium to be successful," said David Stedman, the CID's economic development director. "But what we really want is to create a viable business community."