BREAKING: Arthur Blank's professional soccer team is ditching DeKalb County for Marietta.
Sources confirm that the Atlanta United FC team will execute its backup plan and build its multimillion-dollar soccer field stadium and corporate offices on more than 30 acres along Franklin Road in Marietta. The announcement is expected any day. United FC officials will say that the 41-acre site in DeKalb County near Kensington Road and Memorial Drive was too costly to pursue. “We are working concurrently on due diligence on a site in Marietta given our time constraints. We have made the decision to finalize discussions with the City of Marietta and Cobb County regarding the property on Franklin Road,” The Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank is quoted in a pending press release. United FC has been planning a 3,500-seat stadium and several practice fields, along with offices for its operations, to be ready by the start of its 2017 inaugural season. Check back for more details as they emerge.
The Marietta Daily Journal has also identified the site in a story posted late Friday (above). The paper reports that the city is looking to grant the team a 30-year lease with "fair market value priced rent" on most of its term. The city used a $68M redevelopment bond to purchase two Franklin Road area apartment complexes that were razed and could be home to the soccer complex. [MDJ]
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