On March 18, 2013, the Atlanta City Council voted 11 to 4 to approve a financing plan for a $1 billion retractable-roof stadium in downtown Atlanta. The vote committed $200 million in city hotel-motel tax revenue to the public share of the project. The Georgia World Congress Center Authority had voted unanimously the previous Friday to proceed. Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank and Mayor Kasim Reed had agreed to the financing terms earlier that month.
The stadium would replace the Georgia Dome, which had stood on the western edge of downtown since 1992 and hosted two Super Bowls, NCAA Final Fours, and the 1996 Olympic basketball and gymnastics competitions. At twenty years old, the Dome was functional but increasingly dated — and Blank wanted a building that could compete with the newest NFL venues for major events.
The Public Investment
The $200 million public contribution came from hotel-motel tax revenue — a funding mechanism that draws from visitors rather than residents. The remaining $800 million in private funding would come from Blank and the Falcons organization, making it one of the largest private investments in a single building in Atlanta's history.
The 11–4 council vote reflected broad support but not unanimity. The dissenting votes signaled concerns about the use of public funds for a professional sports venue — a debate that plays out in every American city that builds a stadium with taxpayer help. But the hotel-motel tax mechanism blunted the most common objection: no residential property taxes were involved.
What It Became
The stadium opened in August 2017 as Mercedes-Benz Stadium — a 71,000-seat venue with an eight-panel retractable roof, fan-friendly concession pricing, and a design that immediately became one of the most recognizable buildings in American sports. It hosted Super Bowl LIII in 2019, the College Football Playoff National Championship, MLS Cup finals, and major concerts.
In 2026, Mercedes-Benz Stadium serves as one of 16 host venues for the FIFA World Cup — the largest sporting event ever held in North America. The building that the council approved on a Monday evening in March 2013, with a 11–4 vote and $200 million in hotel tax revenue, became the anchor of downtown Atlanta's identity as a global sports destination.
Original reporting by GPB News, Georgia Public Broadcasting, March 19, 2013.