Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed has now revealed how much more money he’s found to offer Mount Vernon Baptist Church for its land: another $8.3 million, bringing the total offer to $14.5 million to displace the church to make way for a Falcons stadium. That’s just $1 million less than the church’s last asking price.
Reed wouldn’t say, though, what the church’s reaction to the offer was, or even where the money came from:
“I’ll be happy to share that if we get a deal. I’m not going to have a conversation about where the resources to fund the $14.5 million offer are coming from until the church gives us their decision. I have a sense of where their leadership is, but I never pre-judge a vote because you never know how a vote’s going to turn out,” Reed said.
If Mount Vernon does approve the sale, then there will just be the little problem of the bankrupt college that doesn’t want to sell its land to the city in order to allow another church to move there and make way for the Falcons. Get comfortable, we could be here a while.
The mayor finally admitted to the source of the money that “materialized”. It’s the… wait for it… Atlanta Falcons. So not only was Arthur Blank shaking down the a city of less than half a million people for $940,000,000 (nominal), he was trying to low ball a couple of churches, both of which have had to endure racists attacks on their character by locals mad they wouldn’t sell at the initial price offered. Stay classy Arthur Blank.
Neil, you see the report about Atlanta being on the verge of getting an MLS team? They’ll supposedly play in the new stadium, instead of a smaller scale “soccer-specific” stadium… rather highlights the hypocrisy on Don Garber’s part, no?
Yes, just saw it – for anyone who can’t wait till Monday for my full post, here’s Deadspin’s report:
http://deadspin.com/reports-atlanta-likely-to-get-an-mls-team-1307409821