Braves development detailed in application

Braves mixed-use develpoment by the numbers:

• Office: 630,000 square feet
• Retail: 500,000 square feet
• Multi-use facility: 100,000 square feet
• Residential: 600 units
• Hotel: 450 rooms
• Building height: 300 feet maximum

The scope of the Atlanta Braves private development planned adjacent to a new stadium in Cobb County would be unprecedented in the county’s recent history: 450 hotel rooms; 600 condos or apartments; office space equivalent to a six-story tower; and more bars, restaurants and shops than could be held in a major strip mall with two big box tenants.

The plan also calls for a 100,000-square-foot facility suitable for concerts or other special events.

The first official look at the component parts of the Braves’ planned mixed-use development came last week, when the team submitted a rezoning application to Cobb County for approximately 75 acres upon which the new stadium and adjacent development will be built.

The dozens of pages in the application include standard questions that all developers must answer, a summary of the project, legal descriptions of the land, maps, and records of taxes paid on the property. It’s the first step in a bureaucratic process that is required before construction can begin.

One of the questions asked on the application is whether the development will “cause an excessive or burdensome use of existing streets, transportation facilities, utilities or schools?”

The Braves responded that the development will not, even though a traffic study for the area has not been submitted to the county or regional planning agencies.

“The zoning proposal will ultimately be an improvement on the existing county infrastructure,” the Braves’ response to that question says. “There are numerous planned road improvements in the area surrounding the development.”

The county had some $96 million in road improvements planned for the Cumberland area before the Braves announced the move. Additionally, the county has earmarked $14 million in Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax revenue for road work directly related to the stadium project.

It is unclear if the county will be responsible for additional road improvements beyond those commitments. The Braves declined an interview request for this story.

The application says that rezoning the land “will allow the county and the (Braves) to address the unique circumstances necessary to enable a development that advances quality of life while bringing exceptional entertainment, office, residential, retail and a sense of place to the surrounding area.”

Rob Hosack, Cobb’s director of Community Development, said that only two developments since 2002 could rival the Braves’ plan, and both of those are smaller, including the 50-acre West Village mixed-use development off Interstate 285.

Hosack also said the Braves picked a good spot for a mixed use development because the Cumberland area is designated as a Regional Activity Center, meant to accommodate large-scale development that would be a destination for people all over Metro Atlanta.

“In our eyes, they really did pick an appropriate site as far as the county’s land use policies go,” Hosack said. “That’s a good piece of dirt they bought — prime real estate.”

There are 14 “special stipulations” in the application, including:

• The county can't require setbacks in any area of the project site. A setback is the distance between a building or other structure from a street or any other place that is deemed to need a buffer. The application says the no setback clause is "perpetual" and applies to buildings owned by the county such as the stadium, as well.
• Up to 90 percent of the project site can be made up of impervious surfaces, although there will be "adequate storm water detention."
• The approximately 7,000 required parking spaces at the project site may be reduced after a study is completed that looks at available parking in surrounding areas.
• A master landscaping plan will be completed by the Braves. The team's plan will trump any conflicting requirements in the county codes.
• There will be no less than four stadium marquee signs.