Will Be Torn Down For Construction Of Additional Runway

The City of Atlanta has purchased the 395-room Sheraton Atlanta Airport Hotel, which has stood at the western end of the runways at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport for more than 30 years, with the intent of demolishing the hotel and convention center to make room for a new runway at the airport.

Curbed Atlanta relays a report from the Atlanta Business Chronicle indicating that the city purchased the hotel property for $16.7 million. 

The city plans to relocate cargo facilities at the airport and add a sixth runway between the existing fourth and fifth runways, according to the report. It is all part of a $6 billion package of upgrades to be completed at the airport over the next twenty years.

The hotel is expected to close sometime in July. About 145 hotel employees are expected to lose their jobs.

According to a website dedicated to the airport expansion project "ATLNext",  the program consists of a series of projects over the next 20 years designed to boost capacity, renew and replace existing facilities, and enhance ATL’s aesthetic appeal. These projects, which fall under six general areas, will help secure Hartsfield-Jackson’s position as the world’s most traveled and efficient airport, and further bolster the Airport’s goal to provide the best possible customer service while meeting passengers’ changing needs. The work is projected to cost more than $6 billion, with nearly $1 billion to be spent in 2017 alone.

(City of Atlanta image)

FMI: next.atl.com