A compromise option

Athletic and
Community Center

Bird’s-eye rendering of the athletic field house beside Cheney’s outdoor track, with the separate community center across the site

An athletic field house

This compromise would create an athletic field house for community recreation that converts to track competitions during the December–February indoor track season. Martin Street is 10 feet higher than Ami Street, allowing parking underneath the building. Membership would be part of the existing city recreation membership: $245 for families, $110 for adults, and free for seniors.

Northeast view of the field house with its lower level facing the outdoor track
Field house · Northeast view
Southwest view of the field house showing the building’s two levels along the sloping site
Field house · Southwest view

March–November

Recreation season

During the recreation season, the field house would provide space for basketball, tennis, pickleball, table tennis, rock climbing, martial arts, weight lifting, a dance studio, track, and bike riding.

Cutaway recreation layout with tennis, basketball, and pickleball courts inside the running track and activity spaces around the perimeter
Recreation layout
Overhead recreation floor plan showing courts, running lanes, fitness areas, and studios
Recreation floor plan

December–February

Competition season

During indoor track season, the field house would convert into a world-class track arena. We would lose access to some recreation facilities during these months, but other spaces would remain available when a scheduled event is not taking place.

Competition layout with a banked indoor track, field-event areas, and spectator seating extended around the arena
During a scheduled event
Indoor track between events, with spectator seating retracted and open space beside the climbing wall
Between events

A separate community center

A separate community center would provide office space for Atlanta Track Club, retail on the first floor, and the remaining space for community uses. The exact mix would depend on the funding secured. Possibilities include pre-K, daycare, a library, arts and music spaces, and senior programs.

Street-facing community center with first-floor storefronts and community and office space above
Community center · Street view
Rear of the community center overlooking a playing field, with a terrace and play area
Community center · Field view
Parking entrance beneath the community center at the lower side of the sloping site
Community center · Parking entrance

How this could work

Splitting the project into two buildings would make them simpler and less costly to build. Expensive site work could be avoided, and a broader donor base would make fundraising easier. Convention centers in Albuquerque and Reno already use portable indoor tracks, allowing the same space to serve other purposes outside track season.

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