Mayor Derek Norton said Smyrna has closed on the former Emory Adventist Hospital site on South Cobb Drive and is pursuing public–private partnerships to redevelop it as a recreation-focused campus.

Norton told the audience that brokers initially described the site as suitable for “dense multifamily with 600 or more units,” a proposal he said city leaders declined. “We said, no thanks,” Norton said, adding that elected officials preferred recreation- and amenity-focused uses.

City officials have spoken with several potential partners, Norton said, most of them national pickleball operators and other sports- and recreation-related interests. He said the city’s goal is a public–private deal that could deliver pickleball courts, youth programming and instruction (baseball, soccer, tennis), senior activities, possibly a hotel and supporting retail and restaurants.

Norton said negotiations and discussions are ongoing and described the effort as exploratory: “Discussions are ongoing with potential partners and we are hopeful that we will be able to bring a mix of recreational and retail uses to that site that you will all enjoy.”

Ending: Officials did not provide a timetable for developer selection or construction; the mayor said talks with operators are continuing and that the city bought the property to control future uses.