Downtown Development Authority - A. Max Bacon City Hall - HR Training Room — Minutes
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1. Roll Call
Present: 6 – Mayor Derek Norton, Heather Bacon, Ron Davis, Jim Duelmer, Tarun
Ganeriwal, Jason Saliba
Also Present: 2 – Scott Cochran, Tom Owens (Raymond James & Associates, Inc.)
Absent: 2 – Kevin Drawe, Kimberly Gangemi
Staff: 9 – Joe Bennett, Richard Garland, Kendra Harruff, Jill Head, Russell Martin,
Heather Peacon-Corn, Kristin Robinson, Christy Ullman, Andrea Worthy
2. Call to Order
Mayor Derek Norton called to order the March 21, 2025 Downtown Development Authority held
at A. Max Bacon City Hall in the HR Training Room at 8:32 AM.
3. Chairperson Instruction and Comment
4. Formal Business
A. AGR2025-014 Approve Standard Land Sale Agreement with Emory University for the
purchase of approximately 12.72 acres at 3903, 3949 and 3967 South Cobb Drive for the price
of $10,176,000 and authorize the chair to execute the agreement and all related documents.
Mayor Norton said the brokers for Emory Adventist came to the city and explained they
were not going to continue with a hospital at this site. They asked what the city would like
to see there. Some ideas that were discussed through a public/private partnership:
• Pickleball facility anchor
• Pickleball food & beverage – similar to Top Golf
• Retail and restaurant
• Field space for baseball or football
• Instructional site for different sports
The city is purchasing the property at $800k/acre. There is a pharmacy and some medical
offices which will be leased back from the city. A pickleball facility anchor would look like
24 indoor/24 outdoor courts which would require about six acres. What the city does not
DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
Minutes - Final
Derek Norton, Chair/Mayor
Kevin Drawe, Vice Chair
Heather Bacon, Secretary
Ron Davis
Jim Duelmer
Tarun Ganeriwal
Kimberly Gangemi
Jason Saliba
A. Max Bacon City Hall
HR Training Room
2800 King Street SE
Smyrna, GA 30080
City Attorney Scott Cochran
City Administrator Joseph Bennett
City Clerk Heather K. Peacon-Corn
March 21, 2025
8:30 AM