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Accenture and private partners kick off Arena District planning; team outlines 30‑day due‑diligence and six‑month schedule
Summary
Accenture and private‑sector partners introduced a project goal statement and immediate 30‑day business‑case work for the Arena District; the consultant team said a partial strategy could be ready by mid‑ to late‑June and the full plan by an end‑of‑year target (Dec. 8).
Accenture and a private‑sector team told Athens‑Clarke County’s steering committee they will begin a business‑case and financial feasibility analysis for the Arena District, with immediate work focused on updating hotel, parking and transportation studies, utilities capacity checks and stakeholder engagement.
“Trey Weatherly, who will help lead the Accenture team, said the firm was engaged to provide independent expert guidance that aligns community priorities, market realities and public investment toward a catalytic, financially sound and community‑driven outcome.” Trey Weatherly said the team will spend the next 30 days conducting a business‑case analysis and recommended updates to dated studies. He said the project includes a consultant pass‑through budget of $110,000 to pay for updates to external studies and expert inputs.
Accenture and private developers (Atlantic Companies and Revel/Bridal Group representatives) described a parallel market and financing review. “We’ll be looking at these individual parcels,” one private‑sector representative said, describing parcel‑level market evaluation and private‑finance options such as P3 structures, ground leases or fee‑simple sale scenarios. The team said it expects a partial strategy and financial model by mid‑to‑late June and the final product by Dec. 8, while noting those dates depend on information and stakeholder inputs.
Committee members and staff discussed decision‑making steps: the steering committee will vet options and then recommend major design or plan approvals to the county commission, which will hold a work session and then a voting session (typically a 45‑day cycle for agenda items). The group tentatively scheduled a due‑diligence presentation for the committee on the morning of May 29 at 8:30 a.m.
Speakers flagged several coordination items the team will address: clear points of contact (Ilka plus the mayor’s legislative lead), traffic and arena event logistics (coordination with Classic Center operations), potential zoning/text amendments (height limits and design overlays), and outreach to major adjacent landowners, hotel industry stakeholders and state/federal funding contacts if needed.
Accenture said the overarching project timeline is about six months to produce an actionable plan, but added the firm will present earlier if the team identifies accelerated opportunities.
