New Hawks Facility: What It Means for Brookhaven

BROOKHAVEN, GA -- Brookhaven scored its biggest victory in its short municipal history on Tuesday, when the Atlanta Hawks and Emory Healthcare announced plans to build a training facility and sports medicine center in Executive Park.

The 90,000-square-foot facility will be located on about five acres at 22 Executive Park Drive, and is expected to bring at least 200 permanent jobs to the city. The development of the Brookhaven site will not require any rezoning action by the city’s planning commission.

“The city of Brookhaven is proud to be home to the Atlanta Hawks and Emory Healthcare,” said Brookhaven Mayor John Ernst. “This innovative training and sports medical facility fits within our city’s vision for smart growth and a high quality of life. Bringing an elite athletic franchise and world class healthcare to Brookhaven fosters investment, visibility and well-being for our vibrant community.

"We welcome the Atlanta Hawks, Emory Healthcare and their visitors to Brookhaven.”

Hawks CEO Steve Koonin was impressed by Executive Park's location.

"The location of the facility was a significant factor in our search and Brookhaven stood out as an area that perfectly fit many of our needs," Koonin said. "It is central to many of our players and basketball operations staff and a thriving young community,.

“I would like to thank Mayor Ernst and the city of Brookhaven for how they have welcomed our project and I look forward to working together to create a community partnership.”

The team expects to break ground this summer on the 90,000-square-foot facility, and the Hawks Basketball Operations Department will be housed in the facility upon its completion.

In addition to the naming rights entitlement of the training and sports medicine facility, Emory will become the official sports medicine provider of the team. Emory Healthcare and the Emory Healthcare Network comprise the most comprehensive health system in Georgia, and Emory University is one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers.

The announcement came on the same day that Emory revealed it had purchased Executive Park in Brookhaven.

The Hawks’ new facility will be the first in the NBA to be co-located with an entire sports medicine center, allowing for expert and immediate treatment and on-site access to state-of-the-art equipment such as the 3 Tesla MRI scanner, which provides diagnosis for soft tissue and bone bruise injuries. Emory will utilize roughly 30,000-square-feet to offer the most comprehensive in preventative and rehabilitative treatment and sports performance training.

The entire roster of doctors, surgeons and specialists from Emory’s current Sports Medicine Center will also make Brookhaven its permanent home and treat patients inside the new facility.

Ernst plans to host a town hall on Thursday, April 28, at 6:30 p.m. at Montclair Elementary School to answer questions about the facility and its impact on Brookhaven.