Luke Mrozek <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mayor Girtz speaks in a press conference about the renovations to The Classic Center on Dec. 1, 2023, in the Fine Arts Building. The new Classic City Arena is projected for completion in August 2024. (Photo\/Luke Mrozek)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Classic Center renovations are expected to bring economic growth to the city, higher wages for jobs within the center and roughly 600 new jobs, according to Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz, generating $33 million in annual economic impact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mayor Girtz highlighted some of the economic benefits coming to the city through The Classic Center Arena at a press conference on Friday at the University of Georgia Fine Arts Building. He said that the wages for the service jobs in The Classic Center would rise to the living wage calculated by M.I.T.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe wanted to see the arena be a foundation for higher wages for people in the service sector in Athens,\u201d Mayor Girtz said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The mayor also said that the new arena will also bring a positive economic impact<\/a> to East Athens, a part of the city that has historically been unserviced. Mayor Girtz mentioned that this was being done through the way the tax allocation district was drawn. The Mayor hopes that the tax allocation district will raise property values, and create more revenue that can be used to benefit the district.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEast Athens has suffered from a deficit of affordable housing and we\u2019re gonna be able to provide more affordable housing in East Athens,\u201d said Girtz. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s not just gonna be an arena and it\u2019s not just gonna be the concourse that immediately surrounds it, but really it\u2019s gonna be in every direction some new vitality that surrounds it,\u201d said the mayor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Among other things, the mayor also claimed that around 600 new jobs would be created by way of The Classic Center\u2019s renovations. This comes through the addition of the hockey arena<\/a> that will host the Ice Dawgs and a professional hockey team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Logan Joiner, a first-year law student at the University of Georgia, raised concerns and excitement for the renovations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think it\u2019s a double-edged sword. I think it\u2019d be great for the community to get more business and get more things going for it,\u201d he said. \u201cHowever, downtown is already hectic as it is, the streets are usually very congested, especially on the weekends.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Classic Center is located on N. Thomas Street in downtown Athens. The renovations will include a hockey arena, and more capacity for trade shows, concerts and other family events. The renovations are expected to be completed in August 2024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Renovations, multi-purpose center, economics, development<\/p>\n\n\n\n