Public spending set to begin for Atlanta United soccer complex
The DeKalb County Commission is scheduled to vote Tuesday on spending up to $500,000 for Atlanta United's planned soccer complex, one of the first expenses of public funds for the project.
The money would pay for removal and relocation of fuel tanks that are currently located on the site behind the DeKalb jail near Memorial Drive, according to the commission’s agenda.
It’s unclear whether this expense is an additional cost or if it’s included in the $5 million the county anticipated spending for land preparation and demolition. The county didn’t respond to a request for more information Friday afternoon.
An incentive package approved by the commission last month also provides $7 million from the county to lease office space at the complex.
In exchange, Atlanta United will spend about $35 million to build the Major League Soccer team's offices, a 3,500-seat stadium and practice fields on 41 acres of county land.
Commissioner Jeff Rader said he’s concerned that the project’s cost to taxpayers will quickly grow.
“This seems to be a new cost,” Rader said. “It seems to be outside of the narrow scope of the costs of this deal.”
About the Author
Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.
