DORAVILLE, GA (CBS ATLANTA) -
Since 2008, the General Motors plant in Doraville has been closed.
The once hustling-and-bustling plant closed after GM restructured its finances.
Today, more than 40 members of the community and key stakeholders met in Doraville's City Hall to discuss the future of the plant.
"We want to see a sustainable community," said DeKalb Chief Executive Officer Burrell Ellis. "We want to see this site cleaned up, added value left behind in the community and economic impact that will be a multiplier for the region."
Officials with GM also attended the meeting. The representatives from Detroit are working to sell the 165-acre piece of land for $60 million.
"This is a very important site for us," said John K. Blanchard, the executive director for General Motors Worldwide Real Estate. Blanchard is responsible for the acquisition, disposition and redevelopment of corporate real estate around the world.
"We have all been hit with some very difficult economic times, we have one of our top real estate project managers on this - probably the top real estate service provider in the world on this," said Blanchard. So we want to do everything we can to redevelop this site."
Doraville City Mayor Donna Pittman said she wants to work with lawmakers on the local and federal level to find what is best for the city.
"Our most important priority is to create jobs," said Pittman. "Something that is good to the community, bring jobs, vitality," said Pittman. Something that gives the community a sense of being. We would like to have an educational component, our schools are the backbone of our community and we would really like to see it thrive."
There is no timeline for when the land will be purchased and converted. Currently, county leaders are looking to model the plant after other GM sites across the country that have been redeveloped after shutting down.
Copyright 2012 WGCL-TV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved
