 | |
| Industry | Automotive |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1947 |
| Defunct | September 26, 2008 |
Area served | Doraville, Georgia |
| Products | Automobiles |
| Parent | General Motors Company |
Doraville Assembly was a General Motors automobile factory in Doraville, Georgia, just northeast of Atlanta. The plant opened in 1947 and was under the management of GM's newly created Buick-Oldsmobile-Pontiac Assembly Division created in 1945. It was closed on 26 September 2008 as part of the company's cost-cutting measures.[1] According to an article that appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on January 28, 2010,[2] New Broad Street Doraville, LLC, a development company, has executed a purchase contract with General Motors to purchase the former plant, with plans to build a mixed-use, transit-oriented development. New Broad Street's deal fell through when DeKalb County decided against using its federal stimulus and property taxes dollars to partially fund the project.[3]
Doraville Assembly was one of two General Motors factories in Atlanta, the second one was called Lakewood Assembly, in the southeast community of Lakewood Heights, built in 1927.
The site is adjacent to the four-track Doraville Yard, a railyard that primarily loaded GM automobiles into auto carriers, and is still served by Norfolk Southern for other uses. MARTA's Gold (formerly Northeast) line passes nearby, providing the rapid transit for the new land development around the Doraville station.
As of 2014 the entire assembly facility has been torn down to make way for a new mixed-used, transit oriented development. A corner portion (about 20 acres) was sold off to the Nalley Automotive Group and will be located next to the current Brandsmart. It's the farthest location from the Doraville MARTA station, hence the least walkable. The site was purchased by Integral Group and Macauley + Schmit. They have developed a master plan of streets, parks and such which was approved by the City of Doraville. Plans include a "covered street" that will connect Park Avenue to the Assembly Doraville, by going under the MARTA station as well as 13 Norfolk Southern railroad tracks [4]
The former training facility on the Southern portion of the site has been converted into Third Rail Studios, a full service film and television production facility to serve the growing film and television industry in Georgia. Third Rail Studios opened in August 2016.
- ^ Ganz, Andrew (September 29, 2008). "GM's Doraville plant shuts down for good". Left Lane News. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ^ Hunt, April (January 28, 2010). "Florida developer to buy GM site in Doraville". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ^ Markiewicz, David (September 3, 2010). "GM plant site will need a new suitor". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
- ^ http://actvra.in/4MCf[dead link]