Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation Repositions Domaine de la Cote des Blancs project in France's Champagne Region and Pursues Texas Tennis Center and Texas Open in Houston, Texas

    NEW YORK, NY, February 12, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Today, Dr. William Hyatt Gordon, LEED-AP, 41, President of Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation, a New York, New York-based firm announced that the firm has reassessed its originally proposed development Domaine de la Cote des Blancs inclusive of a plan to build an ATP-500 grade stadium to host the Champagne Open at the Le Mesnil-sur-Oger/Oger, Champagne-Ardenne, France. Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation, as a firm, has held as a goal the development of an ATP-500 stadium and the development of a new open. Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation originally included the design of the new stadium at Le Mesnil-sur-Oger/Oger, as a means to deliver the project during the economic crisis of 2009. Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation's 2009 proposed Domaine de la Cote des Blancs plan largely focused on the utilization of media streams and events revenue to off-set the reduction of real estate sales, and overcome traditionally weak hotel occupancy rates in the Champagne-Ardenne region that are as low as fifty percent (50%) at certain times of the year.

However, the stadium plan met tremendous resistance from local authorities, and Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation was criticized for proposing new private facilities that would compete directly with existing public facilities. Local authorities also expressed concern over the effects of storm water run-off on local crop land, an increase in public expenditure that would be necessary to enlarge highways to accommodate more traffic to the site, the increase in traffic, and the need to expand local law enforcement to effectively police up to 7,000 people entering the community at one time.

While regional officials do support Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation's proposal for a Champagne Open, they strongly favor that the event be held at an existing public facility. An idea Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation has rejected, having noted that no existing facility meets the ATP-500 requirements in the Champange-Ardenne area. The local authorities presented to Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation a phasing plan in the summer of 2009, which requested that the stadium be built in the second phase of the project. Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation originally rejected this plan noting that economic conditions at the time did not allow the project to survive without the stadium, nor did the proposed phasing plan meet the firm's goal to build an ATP-500 stadium within its envisioned timeframe. In the early fall, Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation acquiesced to local authorities' requirements for a phased plan, and reached a tentative agreement to do a feasibility study for the proposed stadium, with the idea that both the local authorities and the firm would support a Champagne Open and a bid for an ATP-500 event in the region.

Improvements in the global economy in the fourth quarter of 2009, as well as the re-emergence of the Canadian real estate market made the development of Domaine de la Cote des Blancs without a tennis stadium a possibility. By December 2009, Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation had reached tentative agreements with a Canadian-American partnership firm to develop an effective condominium sales plan largely aimed towards the Canadian market that would facilitate the construction of the larger site. Currently, Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation is in the process of repositioning the Domaine de la Cote des Blancs site, which is still planned to host major golf events. Recently, Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation indicated to local authorities that the firm would consider other sites in the region for the construction of the ATP-500-stadium necessary to host a Champagne Open closer to highways with better transportation access, as a part of the Domaine de la Cote des Blancs brand. Finance has been available to move the project forward at the Domaine de la Cote des Blancs with the stadium model since November, 2009 via Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation's financial partners UK Investors Limited, and Euro Exchange Securities UK, Limited. While both parties, the local authorities and Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation remain committed to the development of the Domaine de la Cote des Blancs site, and the Champagne Open, the two must agree on a final plan to make the projects a reality from both a regulatory and political, as well as a profitability point-of-view.

On a firm level, Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation has a shifted away from the development of an ATP-500 site in the Champagne region, to focus on the development of an ATP-500 stadium in Houston, Texas. Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation has teamed up with Texas-based, 912-Design, LLC to focus on the development of an ATP-500 stadium in Houston, Texas, where the firm expects much greater public and government support. From Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation's point-of-view, there are only eleven (11) ATP-500 tournaments worldwide including the German Open held in Hamburg, Germany and the Japan Open played in Tokyo, Japan. Hence, Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation, and its financial partners, UK Investors Limited, and Euro Exchange Securities UK, Limited want to invest firm and financial resources towards the completion of an ATP-500 facility in a politically and economically favorable environment. No site has been located yet in Houston. However, Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation and 912-Design, LLC seek a site close to Rice University for the Texas Tennis Center, due to the fact that the facility is expected to be named after a former coach.

Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation and 912-Design, LLC plan to develop a state-of-the-art, media-rich, tennis stadium that is able to attract the endorsement of the ATP-500 committee as the site of the Texas Open. While Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation and its partners are aware that Houston, Texas already hosts an ATP-250, the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships played at the River Oaks Country Club. Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation points towards Paris, France (population 2.1 million) which hosts two (2) ATP events including the Paris Masters (ATP-1000) hosted at Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, and the French Open (ATP-Grand Slam) held at Stade Roland Garros. Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation maintains that Houston, Texas (population 2.14 million) is as large as Paris, France, and is therefore able to accommodate two (2) ATP events. Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation and its partners envision a facility that accommodate the same capacity as Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, or approximately 17,000, as well as several support courts, and a hotel. Houston, Texas boasts year-round tennis weather and the city is ideal as tennis training center.

The Texas Tennis Center will be built to specifications required by the ATP, inclusive of secondary arenas and hotel accommodations. Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation will develop the facility with the same development team, inclusive of UK Investors, Ltd, and its preferred structural engineering and architecture firm, Werner Sobek. In addition, Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation will seek to work with stadium management and stadium consultant groups in the development of a feasibility for a new facility. Strong contenders for the stadium management consultant role include SMG (Spectator Management Group), IMG-McCormick, and HVS. The Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation and 912-Design LLC, plan to ensure profitability through the development of year-round events at the stadium.

Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation and the 912-Design LLC point again towards Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy that has successfully hosted many concerts including the following: Madonna, Depeche Mode, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Fairuz, Muse, Bruce Springsteen, The Cure, Radiohead, Oasis, Kiss, Whitney Houston, Shania Twain, Beyonce, AC/DC, The Cranberries, Shakira, Dire Straits, Spice Girls, Celine Dion, Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears, R.E.M., The Smashing Pumpkins, Marilyn Manson, Gwen Stefani, Bjork, Pink, Christina Aguilera, Korn, Rammstein, Mylene Farmer, Johnny Hallyday, Michel Polnareff, Indochine, France Cabrel, Jean Jacques Goldman, Vanessa Paradis, Justin Timberlake, Cher, The Rolling Stones, Green Day, Pearl Jam, Deep Purple, Tina Turner, Barbra Streisand, Janet Jackson, Destiny's Child, Guns N' Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Zazie, Coldplay, The Who, David Bowie, Prince, U2, The Corrs, Queen, Queen + Paul Rodgers and Lionel Richie. The Texas Tennis Center will meet entertainment industry standards and be able to accommodate AAA concerts in a state-of-the-art venue.

Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation has been in continual contact with CADev, the regional development authority for the Champagne-Ardenne region throughout 2009, and 2010. The firm recently informed CADev of its decision to withdraw support of Paris-Vatry airport in favor of its own self-financed heliport in Oger. The heliport in Oger will allow guests coming to Domaine de la Cote des Blancs to access the site directly from Charles De Gaulle International Airport and La Defense Heliport. Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation's original proposal was based on accessibility to the site via the OneWorld network. However, Japan Airlines' potential shift in airline alliances, and Domaine de la Cote des Blancs' reliance on the Canadian market caused the firm to consider the possibility of non-exclusive relationships with airline partnerships, that would allow American, British, Canadian, Japanese, Jordanian, and Russian passengers to easily reach the site. With the resolution of Japan Airlines to remain within the OneWorld network, Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation now seeks ways to accommodate Canadian passengers via Charles de Gaulle Intrenational Airport. Ultimately, Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation envisions an airline partnership that would allow interested passengers to utilize connecting helicopter service to Oger, as a part of a complete origin-destination itinerary that is easily packaged as a branded flight service, similar to a commuter carrier, but with very small passenger loads.

Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation is very enthusiastic about the repositioning of the Domaine de la Cote des Blancs' proposal expected to be released behind closed doors to CADev at the end of the month. Initial responses have been extremely positive regarding the new plan. Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation looks forward to the development of the Texas Tennis Center and the Texas Open.

About Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation

Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation pursues both private client and investment-driven real estate development projects in France, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Principal United States' markets include Gordon Atlantic Development Corporation's home market, New York, as well as Miami-Dade County, and metropolitan Washington. Private client projects include: hospitals and healthcare facilities; museums, theatres, and economic development projects; projects for the environment, projects for humanity, as well as projects for not-for-profit organizations. Investment projects are focused on hotels, convention centres, media studios, golf courses, ski areas, and the like.

Website: http://www.gordonatlantic.com

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