Q: Why don’t the Falcons move the stadium to the old GM factory land next to I-285 in Doraville? MARTA is next door, there is no residential and Peachtree Industrial and Buford Highway provide easy access. Why make people mad when there are other options? The plant is an eyesore. It needs new life, so let the Falcons build there.
—Karen Ryals, Atlanta
A: Doraville mayor Donna Pittman reiterated this week that the city doesn’t want the Atlanta Falcons to build a new stadium on the site of the former General Motors plant that closed in 2007. “We love the Falcons and wish them the best in finding a great location,” she told Q&A on the News in an email. “However, the majority of our citizens and council did not support the idea of a stadium on the GM property, and I continue to respect the wishes of our citizens.” In 2009, the Doraville City Council voted unanimously against what was called a conceptual plan – the city said it was being pushed by DeKalb County — to build a NFL stadium on the 165-acre site. The city hopes to develop the site to bring in high-tech jobs. The Falcons are searching for a spot to build a new stadium near the Georgia Dome. Negotiations between the Georgia World Congress Center Authority and Mount Vernon Baptist Church, which sits on the preferred spot south of the Georgia Dome, ended recently with the two sides about $14 million apart, the AJC reported. There is another spot under consideration just north of the Georgia Dome.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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