Atlanta City Council creates task force for Turner Field redevelopment

By Collin Kelley INtown Editor

The vote by the Cobb County Commission last month to enter into a deal with the Atlanta Braves for a new stadium and entertainment complex means Turner Field will be vacant after the 2016 season. During its last meeting of 2013, the Atlanta City Council meeting voted unanimously to create a Turner Field redevelopment task force.

Councilwoman Carla Smith, whose district includes The Ted, sponsored the legislation. The task force is charged with creating recommendations for residential, commercial and transportation options for the 60-acre parcel once the Braves depart for Cobb County.

Mayor Kasim Reed has said Turner Field will be demolished to make way for a mixed-use development that he hopes will mirror nearby Glenwood Park, with its mix of small businesses, restaurants and homes.

The 20-member task force will be chaired by Smith and include representatives from the surrounding neighborhoods, including Peoplestown, Mechanicsville, Summerhill and Grant Park and even a representative from the Braves.

The city council is expected to begin confirming board members this month so task force meetings can begin in February.

A study completed last summer by Georgia State University’s Andrew Young School of Policy studies indicated that the Atlanta Braves brings in $60.8 million per year in direct fiscal impact and tax revenues to the city.

Before the Cobb vote, the city council had passed resolutions urging Reed to restart negotiations with the Braves, even offering up $200 million in renovations to The Ted as incentive.