A mammoth multimillion-dollar and multifaceted sports and entertainment complex will soon be constructed in the newly anointed city of Stonecrest, adjacent to Stonecrest Mall, and will be the largest such single-development project in modern DeKalb County history.
Called “Atlanta Sports City at Stonecrest,” the $200 million, 200-acre facility will be a multi-sport facility decorated with a fitness center, athletic fields and courts, elevated walking track, restaurants, meeting rooms, sports medicine and sports rehab centers and a training center.
The indoor/outdoor sports and entertainment complex destination will be expected, in a few years, to generate $200 million in annual economic impact and create nearly 2,000 jobs in South DeKalb, said Atlanta Sports Connection CEO Patrick Henderson..
More specifically, Vaughn Irons, the developer and CEO of APD Solutions, said the complex will generate more than $105 million in annual economic impact on Stonecrest and DeKalb County, and have a nearly $200 million impact on the state of Georgia overall.
Irons also boasted that the Atlanta Sports City will only be second only to Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, which has 220 acres and will turn Stonecrest into a true sports paradise.
“By 2020, this entire are will be transformed,” he said. “I want it to be a place where you tell your friends, ‘I don’t want to meet in Midtown because you can meet me in Stonecrest,” Irons said to thunderous applause.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Henderson said of the arduous, eight-year long journey to get to this point. “The Atlanta Sports Connection is not only here to help develop sports and entertainment, sports medicine, corporate development, but we’re here to help enrich the community and help connect communities through sports.”
Unveiled before a plethora of civic and political leaders of South DeKalb, Atlanta and other areas of metropolitan region -- including Atlanta Partners for Development, The DeKalb Convention & Visitors Bureau, SFA/SFM Advisory, Brasfield & Gorrie, Atlana Land Group, Willis Towers Watson and SCR Consulting and Georgia Soccer -- the Atlanta Sports City at StoneCrest will be an unprecedented foray into sports medicine, sports training and sports rehabilitation.
The complex will be home to 22 different team sports, 24 playing fields, eight basketball courts, and a sports medicine pavilion.
In addition, the complex will include:
Soccer Village: that features eight multi-use fields and outdoor covered stadium;
The Diamond District: Which is seven baseball and softball fields and batting cages
Xtreme Heights: An area for extreme sports including a skate park, ziplininig, rock climbing and team building;
Stonecrest Stadium: A 15,000 seat stadium for championship games, matches, exhibitions, practices and home games for professional sports teams;
Uptown - The Entertainment District: The complex is in proximity to retail shops, restaurants, music and comedy venues, grocery store, Sports Walk of Fame and Sports City Market;
City Center: The main entrance with ticket gate, welcome center, retail kiosks and children’s playground.
“This is more than a moment. This is a movement,” said Von Irons, the developer of the soon-to-be constructed complex.
“So we’re in a movement together to make this the most desired sports and recreation and entertainment on the planet. What we are building here today is a first-class sports and entertainment destination,” Irons continued, claiming that the complex would only be second in size to Disney’s Wide World of Sports, which is 220 acres
“But we’re not second in reference to quality, technology and access,” Iron said.
“And we are going to convert every parcel of vacant property that you see here, that the residents have been bellyaching for years, into that shining place on the hill. We’re going to turn this into a true sports paradise to accommodate 22 different sports, a first-of-its-kind sports medicine pavilion, a sit-down restaurant, a shopping and entertainment district, and upscale boutiques. I want it to be a place where you tell your friends, ‘I don’t want to meet in Midtown because you can meet me in Stonecrest,’” Irons added to thunderous applause.
Construction will start in the March and take two and a half years to complete. James Tsismanakis, Discover DeKalb executive director, said the project’s impact will be felt across the state and the southeast.
“Just 20 minutes east of downtown Atlanta, the location of this project is key,” he said. “This will be a destination between Augusta and Atlanta allowing us the opportunity to compete for regional and national sporting events. An estimated 3 million visitors will visit Atlanta Sports City creating a demand for more hotels, retail shops, restaurants and entertainment experiences that Metro Atlanta has not seen.”
Many dignitaries in attendance were very impressed with the plans, the designs and the potential revenue streams it will bring.
Plez Joyner, who worked to create the city of Stonecrest and is candidate for the Stonecrest city council,” called the announcement awesome.
“We thought we were going to start Stonecrest off slow,” he said. “Instead we are starting at a sprint.”
Jason Lary, a candidate for mayor of Stonecrest, said he is happy that the project, which is privately funded, will not be a financial burden on the citizens. Not a single dime in public funds will be used in construction.
“Not only does it not take away from the tax base, “he said. “It adds revenue to our tax base. This is how you reduce taxes in a new city.”
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