Atlanta Stadium Moves Forward

A plan to build a new stadium for the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons that would replace the 82,000-capacity Georgia Dome is moving forward thanks to a recent vote.

The Georgia World Congress Center Authority, the state agency that runs the 20-year-old venue, approved Dec. 10 general terms of the project to build a stadium with a retractable roof and seating capacity up to 72,000.

Under the proposed deal, the GWCCA would own the facility and the Falcons would run it and pay $2.5 million in rent annually.

The team would put up about 70 percent of the estimated $1 billion project.

Financing options include selling personal seat licenses for the new venue in addition to city-county approval to use hotel/motel tax revenue. 

If everything falls into place, the project could be completed in 2017.