Atlanta was shocked Monday morning as news came out of left field that the Atlanta Braves are building a new stadium on the northwest corner of the I-75 and I-285 intersection in Cobb County.
The new stadium, yet to be named, is planned to open for the 2017 season, and the Braves will be leaving Turner Field after the 2016 season, when their 20 year lease expires.
“We wanted to find a location that was great for our fans, makes getting to and from the stadium much easier, and provides a first rate game day experience in and around the stadium,” Atlanta Braves President John Schuerholz said in a video on the Braves website.
“Turner Field, which we do not own, is in needs of hundreds of millions of dollars of upgrades. Unfortunately, that massive investment would not do anything to improve access or the fan experience.”
Mayor Kasim Reed also made a statement, saying that Cobb County made a $450M offer in public support to the Major League Baseball team that the City of Atlanta just could not meet.
“We are simply unwilling to match that with taxpayer dollars,” Reed said. “We have been planning for the possibility of this announcement and have already spoken to multiple organizations who are interested in redeveloping the entire Turner Field corridor.”
However, Reed told WSB-TV’s Justin Farmer that the move to Cobb County is not a done deal and the land has not been purchased. It is merely a potential site for a new stadium.
Turner Field is on the south outskirts of Georgia State’s campus, and its Blue Parking Lot is a location for many commuter students park when coming from the south side of Atlanta.
Andrea Jones, associate vice president for Public Relations and Marketing Communications at Georgia State, told The Signal the news came as a complete shock to the University.
“There’s been no discussion or plans,” Jones said when asked if Georgia State had any plans of doing business with Turner Field.
