Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport plans to implode a former Sheraton hotel and demolish the attached convention center near the airport later this year.
The airport is seeking Atlanta City Council approval for a $9.8 million contract with Renascent Inc. and Corporate Environmental Risk Management LLC. Six other companies also competed for the contract to demolish the vacant property in College Park.
Hartsfield-Jackson general manager John Selden said the airport has been paying $600,000 a year in taxes and maintenance of the site. “Knocking the building down will reduce these costs markedly,” Selden said.
While the demolition was originally planned to make way for a sixth runway, air traffic hasn’t reached the point of needing another. That’s partly because, over the past decade, Delta has shifted from small regional jets to bigger planes, accommodating more passengers with fewer flights.
Then, the COVID-19 pandemic caused air traffic to plummet. Now, “the trigger points required to begin the sixth runway project may not be achieved until later this decade,” a Hartsfield-Jackson spokesman said.
The airport may find ways to generate revenue from the property. Eventually, Selden said, the airport plans to solicit companies to redevelop the old Sheraton Atlanta Airport Hotel site.
The implosion is scheduled for September, with the demolition to be completed later in the year.
The complex near the southeast corner of the airfield includes an empty 12-story, 395-room hotel, conference rooms, ballroom, the old Georgia International Convention Center and a 434-space parking deck on a 19-acre site. A new Georgia International Convention Center opened in 2003 off Camp Creek Parkway in College Park near the airport.
The Sheraton, which is located at 1900 Sullivan Road, closed in 2017 after it was acquired by the City of Atlanta for $16.8 million to make way for future expansion of the airport. The hotel’s furniture, fixtures and equipment were sold off that year.
The city council transportation committee voted unanimously in favor of passing along the contract with Renascent/CERM to the full council for approval.
About the Author
