It looks like another Atlanta sports team will be getting a new stadium. This time it’s the Braves turn. They have announced that they will be building a new stadium in Cobb County and will start playing there in 2017. Here is the word from the team via the AJC:
Braves executives John Schuerholz, Mike Plant and Derek Schiller, in a meeting with a small group of reporters, said the new ballpark will be built at the northwest intersection of I-75 and I-285 in the Galleria/Cumberland Mall area. They said the team has “secured” 60 acres of land for the project.
The Braves said the project will be built in partnership with Cobb County. They indicated that Cobb County would provide public funds toward building the stadium but declined to provide details on that.
The key words there that have residents in and around Atlanta fired up is “public funds.” That will be especially an especially sensitive subject since Turner Field was built in 1997. Their 20 year lease on the stadium expires in 2016 and that begs the question of what happens to Turner Field after that? Can I suggest a college football bowl venue?
*Update* Per the AJC, the county will put up $450 million and the Braves will pay $200 million.