Post by dalejrfan on Mar 6, 2006 22:42:49 GMT -5
ATLANTA -- Atlanta city officials said on Monday that their failed bid to land the NASCAR Hall of Fame was largely due to Charlotte's proximity to the sport's race teams.
NASCAR formally informed Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue of their decision on Monday morning. The city and state had combined to build a Hall of Fame package that reportedly reached $165 million.
"It wasn't about money, because the mayor and the governor took that out of consideration," said Sam A. Williams, president of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. "The cultural background won out over the growth and the future expansion of the sport here."
Charlotte's winning bid cost a total of $154 million. A large percentage of Charlotte's bid -- $102 million -- will be funded by a 2 percent hotel room occupancy tax.
"It is a hotel/motel tax that is creating the Hall of Fame," said A.J. Robinson, president of Central Atlanta Progress. "So when you guys go up there, you are paying for the Hall of Fame when you stay in a hotel."
"It is sad that they decided to marry the girl next door, but we had a lot to offer," Perdue said. "I thought we made a great business case. It could have been a great marriage."
Atlanta officials sought to lure the Hall of Fame to accentuate the massive growth of downtown Atlanta in recent years. The city opened a massive aquarium in November 2005 -- the world's largest -- that has already hosted 1 million visitors.
The city was going to place the Hall of Fame only a few blocks from the aquarium on a site adjacent to Centennial Olympic Park. Instead, the city said it would pursue other tenants for the site.
Atlanta officials seemed miffed at recent comments by NASCAR team owner Felix Sabates, who was quoted as saying, "Would you want to go to Atlanta at 8 o'clock at night and walk around by yourself? I told [NASCAR president] Mike Helton one day, 'Do you want to take your wife and kids and walk the streets a few blocks away from the Hall of Fame in Atlanta?' He said, 'Why?' I said, 'Just try it and you'll see.'"
Robinson said crime had nothing to do with NASCAR's decision.
"The conversations I had with NASCAR never mentioned anything about crime," Robinson said. "There is probably more danger in the pits than [Sabates] would have in downtown Atlanta. I don't think crime had anything to do with this decision."
Atlanta's strong corporate ties to the sport made it a major player in the fight to land the Hall, but its strong financial package wasn't fully finalized until late in the bidding process.
Robinson said the late push had nothing to do with NASCAR's decision to place the Hall elsewhere.
"The only comment I heard this morning was that it was about their trade and their heritage and a lot of the trade is located in the Charlotte area," Robinson said. "They felt compelled to go there and that was really the only reason we were given.
"Let's just say that we made it very expensive for Charlotte to win."
Atlanta's bid to get the NASCAR Hall of Fame actually stretches back several years. According to Williams, the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce had originally suggested the idea to NASCAR.
"Atlanta actually suggested to NASCAR that they think of a Hall of Fame," said Williams. "That was the first thing that put it on their radar. We wanted to sole-source negotiate with Atlanta, of course, but they chose to open it up nationally and go through the site-selection process."
NASCAR formally informed Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue of their decision on Monday morning. The city and state had combined to build a Hall of Fame package that reportedly reached $165 million.
"It wasn't about money, because the mayor and the governor took that out of consideration," said Sam A. Williams, president of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. "The cultural background won out over the growth and the future expansion of the sport here."
Charlotte's winning bid cost a total of $154 million. A large percentage of Charlotte's bid -- $102 million -- will be funded by a 2 percent hotel room occupancy tax.
"It is a hotel/motel tax that is creating the Hall of Fame," said A.J. Robinson, president of Central Atlanta Progress. "So when you guys go up there, you are paying for the Hall of Fame when you stay in a hotel."
"It is sad that they decided to marry the girl next door, but we had a lot to offer," Perdue said. "I thought we made a great business case. It could have been a great marriage."
Atlanta officials sought to lure the Hall of Fame to accentuate the massive growth of downtown Atlanta in recent years. The city opened a massive aquarium in November 2005 -- the world's largest -- that has already hosted 1 million visitors.
The city was going to place the Hall of Fame only a few blocks from the aquarium on a site adjacent to Centennial Olympic Park. Instead, the city said it would pursue other tenants for the site.
Atlanta officials seemed miffed at recent comments by NASCAR team owner Felix Sabates, who was quoted as saying, "Would you want to go to Atlanta at 8 o'clock at night and walk around by yourself? I told [NASCAR president] Mike Helton one day, 'Do you want to take your wife and kids and walk the streets a few blocks away from the Hall of Fame in Atlanta?' He said, 'Why?' I said, 'Just try it and you'll see.'"
Robinson said crime had nothing to do with NASCAR's decision.
"The conversations I had with NASCAR never mentioned anything about crime," Robinson said. "There is probably more danger in the pits than [Sabates] would have in downtown Atlanta. I don't think crime had anything to do with this decision."
Atlanta's strong corporate ties to the sport made it a major player in the fight to land the Hall, but its strong financial package wasn't fully finalized until late in the bidding process.
Robinson said the late push had nothing to do with NASCAR's decision to place the Hall elsewhere.
"The only comment I heard this morning was that it was about their trade and their heritage and a lot of the trade is located in the Charlotte area," Robinson said. "They felt compelled to go there and that was really the only reason we were given.
"Let's just say that we made it very expensive for Charlotte to win."
Atlanta's bid to get the NASCAR Hall of Fame actually stretches back several years. According to Williams, the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce had originally suggested the idea to NASCAR.
"Atlanta actually suggested to NASCAR that they think of a Hall of Fame," said Williams. "That was the first thing that put it on their radar. We wanted to sole-source negotiate with Atlanta, of course, but they chose to open it up nationally and go through the site-selection process."