BIG MONEY
Figures from a county study of projected financial benefits to the region:
Project spending — $1.07 billion*
County contribution — $300 million**
Temporary construction jobs — 8,338
Permanent jobs — 5,287***
Fiscal benefits to Cobb (30-year net present value) — $266.9 million
Fiscal benefits to the state (30-year net present value) — $724.9 million
*Includes stadium cost of $672 million, and private real estate development of $400 million
**Not including long-term debt and maintenance
***Jobs (full- and part-time) created within the stadium and mixed-use development and visitor spending
Source: Brailsford & Dunlavey
Backers of a new Atlanta Braves ballpark near Cumberland Mall tout the project as a job creator.
Cobb County officials and the Braves expect more than $1 billion in public and private money will be spent building the stadium and the mixed-use complex. A study by the county projects 13,625 direct jobs — either building facilities or running them — will result.
Many of the jobs, however, will be part-time service positions, and the majority will consist of temporary construction work, an analysis by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution shows.
Braves Executive Vice President Mike Plant said that’s natural because the team’s business is seasonal, not unlike that of other sports franchises or attractions like Six Flags Over Georgia. Most stadium staffers, such as ticket takers, security guards and concessions workers, are part-time, he said, and many are retirees or college students who like flexible schedules.
But with tens of thousands of fans expected at more than 80 home games per year, and with plans to turn the stadium and mixed-use entertainment district into a year-round hub of activity, Plant said the team produces a bigger economic jolt than than just the jobs inside the stadium.
“This is going to be a very significant project, and years down the road people will feel good about the commitment we’ve made,” Plant said in an interview Wednesday.
A study earlier this year, commissioned by the Braves, projected the team has a $100 million annual economic impact, Plant said. He noted that nearly one-third of the team’s fans come from other states.
“That is a unique quality of our business,” he said.
According to an AJC analysis of job estimates provided for the project:
- More than 8,300, or 61 percent, of the direct jobs created by the stadium and mixed-use development will be temporary construction jobs, with projected wages of about $45,000 per job.
- The stadium, mixed-use development and tourism spending will generate a combined 5,287 direct permanent jobs with average earnings of $17,791.
- Of the permanent jobs, 3,141 will be at the stadium, with pay averaging $11,398 per job.
- The planned mixed use development will create 1,273 jobs, a higher percentage of which will be full-time. Projected wages are about $26,100 per job.
Plant said the jobs and investment information was compiled for the county by Brailsford & Dunlavey, a company that oversees construction projects and provides financial analysis and economic impact studies.
Plant said the average wage figures can be misleading because they’re pulled down by such a high proportion of part-time jobs. Plant said a higher percentage of jobs in the mixed-use development will be full-time.
Though the projected jobs attached to the real estate development would be net new positions to the region, most stadium jobs would not. The team has about a 50 percent to 60 percent retention rate among its stadium workers, but it is unclear how many will move to Cobb, Plant said.
The new stadium will have more jobs than Turner Field, because Braves officials want to expand operating times beyond the season for venues such as the team museum, Braves merchandise stores and restaurants.
The Cobb County Commission on Tuesday approved a memorandum of understanding commits $300 million in public funds to support the $672 million stadium.
The deal passed 4-1 despite opposition from some residents, some of whom questioned the economic benefits.
“I do believe that if the Braves come here it’s awesome, let them pay their way, but I just don’t see where taxpayers fit into this,” said Oleg Ivutin, who attended the meeting.
The public contribution will nearly double over the next three decades after interest on long-term bonds and the public portion of capital improvements to the stadium are included.
The team plans to build an open-air stadium with about 41,000 seats to be ready for start of the 2017 baseball season. The Braves also plan a $400 million mixed-use entertainment district that will include a blend of restaurants, retail, hotels and residences. The adjacent development will be paid for by the Braves and private sources.
The Braves project will attract all types of jobs and it’s unfair to focus solely on stadium positions, said Cobb County Commission Chairman Tim Lee, who led the county’s talks with the team.
“There will be so many other employment development opportunities that will arise from this project,” Lee told the AJC last week. “The Braves are moving their headquarters here for example. That adds jobs to Cobb … There will be many others.”
County leaders have said the deal signals companies looking to grow that Cobb is open for business. Lee said county leaders are working aggressively to land other development opportunities near the stadium.
‘We’re in a good position,” Lee said. “Businesses will work with us.”
The project, like the new Falcons stadium in downtown Atlanta, will boost a construction industry that is only beginning to regain its footing after being hammered by the Great Recession.
The Braves project will also lift to Cobb’s hospitality industry and property values, officials said, and tax revenue is also expected to grow from current levels.
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