The Atlanta Braves unveiled plans on Wednesday for the $400 million entertainment district that would spring up beside the new $672 million stadium that’s set to open in 2017.
The district, which is still in early planning phases, would feature a street lined with retail, restaurants and bars leading up to the stadium. A ring of trees and greenspace would surround the stadium and entertainment district, and a small amphitheater would be at the center of the development.
“No one in the country has ever built a brand new sports facility and created this kind of development at the same time,” Braves executive Mike Plant told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We believe this is the best example of a private-public partnership. And this has been a key part of this from day one.”
The $400 million would be entirely funded by the Braves and a potential development partner, which has not yet been selected. The team said it would soon send out a request to developers interested in participating in the project, though Plant said the team may also choose to develop the land on its own.
Phase one of the project would largely consist of retail, restaurants and a possible hotel, totaling between 700,000 square feet and one million square feet. That would be about the size of a metro Atlanta mall.
The second phase would include more residential options, such as apartments and condos, and potential offices. Plant said to expect the development to be stacked vertically rather than spread out across the fringes of the land.
“What’s really important to us is control,” said Plant. “If you’re going to go vertical outside our front door, it has to be a seamless sense of place.”
About 2,000 spaces would be built under the stadium, along with roughly 4,000 other spaces on the 60-acre site. A total of 30,000 parking spaces would be located within two miles, and the team envisions a pedestrian bridge across Interstate 285 linking to Cobb Galleria.
“Cobb County is a very progressive county,” said Plant. “Stay tuned for more good things on transit, traffic and parking.”
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