Newspaper Page Text
BUSINESS
THURSDAY, MAY 24 - 30, 2018 • Page 17
_ Il&iii® ©iiil
/ATLANTA SPORTS CITY/
7AT STONECREST*
Where The Spirit of Sports Lives
powered by
J^BSSSL jfe
(JKBAN1
A banner displayed at a May 8 event to showcase the sports complex planned for
Stonecrest.
Developers showcase
sports complex
planned for Stonecrest
Principal developer Vaughn Irons shows an artist’s concept of Atlanta Sports City, which he says will make Stonecrest a national
sports destination.
BY KATHY MITCHELL
Over the past 15 years, the
Stonecrest community has
transformed southeast DeKalb
County, starting with the 2003
opening of a 1.2-million-
square-foot regional mall.
The area has since attracted
dozens of retail stores,
lodgings and restaurants.
Developers on May 8 held
an event to showcase a
planned development, Atlanta
Sports City, a sports complex
described by developers as
“state-of-the-art” that promises
to bring a unique combination
of sports and entertainment
venues, restaurants, retail
shops, sports medicine
facilities, event space and
other destinations.
“What makes it unique?”
asked principal developer
Vaughn Irons. “There will be
a 200,000-square-foot indoor
athletic facility, a covered
outdoor field, 20 outdoor
multi-use fields, 12 sports
diamonds, an eight-lane track
and 10 outdoor courts. Atlanta
Sports City will have facilities
for soccer, football, flag
football, lacrosse, basketball,
baseball, field hockey, tennis,
volleyball, wrestling and
more.”
Atlanta Sports City,
according to developers, will
host amateur and professional
sporting events and provide
training, exhibition and
tournament sites for youth,
collegiate, and adult sports
organizations. A sports themed
fan zone along a pedestrian
promenade is to include a walk
of fame, kiosks, concessions
and viewing terraces.
“People have complained
about the shortage of good
restaurants and entertainment
venues in south DeKalb
County. I think they will be
dazzled by Atlanta Sports
City. We have gone to great
lengths to bring the best of the
best,” said Irons, adding that
developers’ goal is the build
“the premier destination for
entertainment in east metro
Atlanta.”
“This is not just about
sports; it’s about moving
our city forward,” he said
of Stonecrest, which was
incorporated in 2016. Based
on an economic impact study
done by the University of
Georgia Carl Vinson Institute
of Government, Atlanta Sports
City is expected to support
1,937 jobs, contribute $105
million to DeKalb County’s
economy and have a $ 197
million-impact in Georgia.
It also is predicted to attract
more than four million visitors
each year.
Irons said he expects the
family-oriented complex to
draw visitors from across the
nation and around the world.
“It will be well suited for
conferences, reunions, concerts
and a variety of other events.
It’s a less than 30-minute
drive from both downtown
Atlanta and Hartsfield-Jackson
International Airport. In
addition, we’re surrounded by
beautiful natural attractions
such as the Arabia Mountain
National Heritage Area.”
Shopping and entertainment
options such as Dillard’s,
Macy’s, JC Penny and New
Vision 16 Theaters will
remain at the newly visualized
mall, according to material
distributed at the event.
The developers last year
purchased the building
that once housed Kohl’s
Department Store. The two-
level facility, where the
May 8 event was held, is to
become the new home of a
sports equipment retail store
and a food hall. A food hall,
the developers explained,
goes well beyond a typical
mall food court and offers
experimental kitchens where
chefs can develop dishes
unique to the area and give
the public the opportunity to
sample foods they won’t find
anyplace else.
While no date for
completion of the overall
complex was announced,
developers said the food hall
and other aspects of the project
are to begin opening in late
summer or fall.
Retailers committed to the
project include Top Golf, a
Dallas, Texas-based indoor
golfing facility a representative
described as “driving range
meets nightclub” and Urban
City Markets, which seeks to
bring neighborhood markets
to multi-family housing areas
with an emphasis on health-
conscience and local fresh
foods. Putt Guttz, a couple-
owned restaurant offering
“Southern comfort food”
now operating in Savannah,
has announced that it will
be moving to the area. Local
businesses such as Tadda’s
Fitness Center, a gym and
health club currently located
in the Decatur area, also are
expected to have a presence at
Atlanta Sports City.
EVEN TEXTERS AND DRIVERS
HATE TEXTERS AND DRIVERS.
STOPTEXTSSTOPWRECKS.ORG m 1INHTSA