Photo by Sean Keenan | The Signal
The clock is ticking on the Atlanta Braves’ tenure at Turner Field. And the feet of some 50,000 students are tapping, waiting for Georgia State to slap a check on the table to claim The Ted for the Panthers.
Georgia State teamed up with Carter and Oakwood Development in May 2014 to put down a $300 million bid, hoping to claim the home of the Braves. And roughly two months after the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority (AFCRA) put Turner Field up for sale, the school’s partnership was chosen as the preferred bidder.
The Braves have to relocate before 2017 to Cobb County, where their new home is being erected. And Georgia State’s development team needs to finish negotiating the official price tag for the nearly 70-acre urban tract.
But since the big check has yet to be signed, Georgia State’s student body — plus, the general public — still doesn’t know exactly how those millions are getting divvied up. The Signal reached out to the university’s development partners, and learned the still “tentative” construction plans are under lock and key until the deal is finalized, according to a Carter spokesperson.
Plans and early renderings reveal that the 67-acre plot will soon give rise to student housing, shops and restaurants, while the ballpark will be retrofitted to accommodate Panther athletics.
Georgia State President Mark Becker said in a Georgia State news release he’s glad Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed was supportive throughout the competitive bidding process.
“This decision demonstrates the confidence the Fulton County Recreation Authority and the Mayor have in our ability to achieve our vision for the site,” he said. “There is a great deal of work to be done, and we are fully prepared to move forward.”
Now a great deal of the work Becker referred to involves meticulously dotting “I’s” and crossing “T’s,” according to Carter President Scott Taylor.
“We still have significant work to do in finalizing a purchase agreement with AFCRA,” he said in a statement sent to The Signal. “But we look forward to sharing more details once that occurs.”
And after unanimous approval deemed Georgia State’s (and friends’) bid the winner, the AFCRA board seems poised with its decision, according to board Chairman William K. Whitner.
“We will move forward expeditiously to ensure that we make meaningful progress toward determining the future of this historic neighborhood,” he said in a news release. “AFCRA has been a long-time partner in this community and we fully appreciate the importance of negotiating with a developer that will have the community’s interest foremost in mind.”
Turner Field’s neighbors
Becker said this imminent “transformational” process will continue to consult Turner Field’s neighboring residents.
“We embrace our responsibility to work closely with community and civic leaders in getting it done,” he said.
In February, the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) granted the city $212,000 to fund a livability study to determine how proposed plans could change the standard of living. This Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) aims to field questions and qualms from concerned residents and neighbors of The Ted, according to ARC.
But community advocacy groups, such as Organized Neighbors of Summerhill (ONS), have locked a watchful eye on the development efforts, and ONS President Suzanne Mitchell said she still wants a “public process” to construct plans for the area.
Mitchell said she has faith that the city and its public officials will keep the community’s needs in mind, but she said “a university’s interest is not the community” and Becker has yet to show face at any of the neighborhood meetings.
“A university’s interest is in its students,” she told The Signal. “I would like to see Georgia State — not the development companies — get directly involved with the neighborhood, and up to now, that has not happened. We would love for Dr. Becker to meet with the community, and he knows how to reach me.”
Mitchell said the community near Turner Field has a vastly different idea of what should happen to the stadium, referring to early renderings which teased of another athletic arena that could pop up just south of The Ted.
“Many residents aren’t even opposed to Turner Field going away…gone and [the land] redeveloped completely,” she said. “Stadiums do nothing for communities. The idea of having two stadiums is not appealing.”
Taylor said the ‘team’ is grateful its bid was chosen, and he joined in the ‘we’ll help the community’ choir.
“The redevelopment of Turner Field is a huge opportunity,” he said. “Georgia State University, Carter and Oakwood are appreciative, humbled and excited to continue working with the surrounding communities on this major effort.”
SGA weighs in
Georgia State’s Student Government Association President Sebastian Parra said he’s proud of the school’s leadership for pushing forward with the acquisition plans during the competitive bidding process.
“The Georgia State proposal made the most sense and it respected Turner Field’s historic significance to the city,” he said.
Parra’s Vice President of Public Relations Anthony Nguyen said he thinks the coming development is quite characteristic of the burgeoning school that Georgia State has become.
“What Georgia State has been doing is nothing short of innovating,” he said. “Our reputation as an up-and-coming university and ‘Georgia’s best-kept secret’ are no more. We are the frontrunners in what we do and leading education like no other [school]. Our university’s goals with Turner Field will benefit not only us students, but Atlanta as a whole.”
Organized Neighbors of Summerhill has monthly meetings during which Turner Field’s fate is frequently discussed. Meetings occur on the first Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Georgia Hill Neighborhood Center on Georgia Avenue.
