About the deal
- DeKalb County will lease 41 acres to Atlanta United, and the team will build a stadium, three soccer fields and a two-story corporate headquarters. An indoor training facility and another four fields may be added later.
- DeKalb will pay about $5 million for demolition and land clearing, as well as $7 million so the county could locate its park department in new offices in the stadium.
- Ownership of the facilities reverts to the county after 30 years.
- All permitting fees for the soccer complex will be waived.
- Atlanta United will pay the county 15 percent of revenue for naming rights and branded events held at the complex.
- DeKalb will pursue funding for a pedestrian walkway from the soccer complex to MARTA's Kensington Station.
- DeKalb will seek state tax credits worth up to $3,500 per job created.
DeKalb County enticed Atlanta United FC to locate its $35 million soccer complex along Interstate 285 by approving incentives Tuesday that will cost more than $12 million in public money, an expense that supporters say is justified if it rejuvenates an area best known now for the county jail.
The DeKalb Commission voted 4-3 to agree to the deal, and team owner Arthur Blank announced that Atlanta United will make the underdeveloped community near Memorial Drive its new home.
The commission took the vote without allowing any public comment, reminiscent of limitations on citizens’ feedback on the Atlanta Braves’ relocation to Cobb County.
A majority of the board members rejected a request to hear from residents, and more than a dozen people stood and sometimes shouted in protest. The deal was approved six days after its details were made public.
Commissioners arguing against the agreement said the county government shouldn’t spend so much taxpayer money on a private sports team. They also doubted the soccer project will jump-start development or job growth.
Atlanta United, which will play its first season in 2017, will construct a 3,500-seat stadium, three practice fields and a two-story corporate headquarters on 41 acres of government land, according to a Memorandum of Understanding. An indoor training facility and four additional fields may be built later.
Under the deal, DeKalb will spend $7 million to use 6,000 square feet of office space and $5 million for land preparation. Atlanta United won’t have to pay property taxes for 30 years, and then the land and facilities revert back to the county.
“I don’t think giving rich people money for sporting facilities is a good thing,” said Steve Binney, a resident who attended the meeting. “I understand why they didn’t want to deal with public comments, but it’s the public’s business.”
Atlanta United will use the fields for its practices, though its professional soccer matches will be played in Atlanta’s new downtown stadium, a facility that will be shared with the Falcons.
Blank said the soccer complex will generate economic activity as a meeting place for soccer events: Fans can view open practices of the professional team, and families can watch children play tournaments. He said the team may end up spending $51 million on the soccer complex if the training facility and extra fields are built.
“This will be a catalyst for further development in this area because of the nature of this sport and the nature of the international attraction it presents,” Blank said.
The fields also may be used to host school graduations and other sporting events, including lacrosse, rugby, field hockey, kickball and Ultimate Frisbee, according to the county. Interim DeKalb CEO Lee May said the soccer facilities could be a key component of his idea for a “Downtown DeKalb,” where he also hopes to build a government center.
“It’s not about a sports facility. It’s about having a financial investment in a corridor that’s desperately in need,” May said. “I’m talking about the public good that will be generated because of this public investment.”
The three commissioners who voted against the proposal said DeKalb is getting a bad deal, and they cited the Gwinnett Braves’ stadium as an example of a sports investment that didn’t yield significant development.
“I’m embarrassed and ashamed that the public is being treated this way. It’s only your money, so go figure,” said Commissioner Kathie Gannon. “We can spend it really fast, can’t we?”
DeKalb residents are owed an apology for not being able to confront their elected officials before the vote, said Commissioner Nancy Jester.
“There is no justification for giving away millions of taxpayer dollars while DeKalb County is failing at delivering basic services such as road maintenance, water management and fully funding public safety and our first responders,” she said.
The location of the complex is close to MARTA’S Kensington Station, and some parking will be available on-site.
The agreement with Atlanta United calls for the county to pursue state tax credits worth up to $3,500 per job created. Atlanta United expects to employ 123 people on the site by 2018, with an annual payroll of $19.2 million.
In addition, if voters approve a 1 percent sales tax increase in March for infrastructure and property tax relief, the county would propose using a portion of the infrastructure funding for a pedestrian walkway to the MARTA station.
Harmel Deanne Codi, one of the residents who wasn’t allowed to speak before the vote, said she thinks the county is paying too much to finance the deal.
“I was ready to talk about the fuzzy math of the financing of the deal,” Codi said. “I just didn’t see the return on investment on what we were able to give.”
Commissioners Larry Johnson, Mereda Davis Johnson, Sharon Barnes Sutton and Stan Watson voted for the deal, while Commissioners Gannon, Jester and Jeff Rader voted against it.
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