Braves: We will exit Turner Field by ….

Reed has long said having a departure date is a key component of brokering a new deal for the 77-acre site. With a firm exit date now in hand, local leaders and the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority could soon begin negotiations with potential buyers.

“Receiving this notice is an essential element to clearing the path for the city, the authority and Fulton County to collaboratively move forward with a new vision for Turner Field and the continued revitalization of the stadium neighborhoods,” Reed said in a statement.

The news is sure to delight eager developers who eye the land as prime real estate in Atlanta’s re-emerging downtown market, but bring angst to many residents who have asked for city leaders to hold off on a deal until the completion of a community study next year.

Reed has said myriad business interests have approached his office about acquiring Turner Field. Most recently, spurred by news that MGM Resorts International is exploring building a $1 billion casino complex near Centennial Olympic Park, as many as four gambling companies have called Reed to inquire about buying Turner Field, pending changes in state laws, he said.

The plan that has received the most attention — and Reed's support — involves Georgia State University and Atlanta-based real estate firm Carter. That team went public in 2014 with proposal to build a $300 million sports and mixed-use development that would expand the university's campus, a plan that hasn't moved forward without a Braves' exit date.

Scott Taylor, president of Carter, welcomed the news.

“Hopefully, this will now allow the AFCRA to proceed with a competitive disposition process so a collaborative planning effort can truly begin,” Taylor said.

But residents like Kimberly Jones, of Summerhill, hope that process includes the community.

Reed has developed somewhat of a reputation as a go-it-alone mayor at the helm of major Atlanta real estate deals, including the construction of the $1.4 billion Atlanta Falcons stadium, the sale of Fort McPherson land to filmmaker Tyler Perry and the sale of Underground Atlanta to a South Carolina developer.

Though Reed has thrown his support behind a Turner Field-related community study funded by the Atlanta Regional Commission, he’s also said it shouldn’t hold up development.

“I’m just praying that they do the right thing … and really engage our communities in this process and care about us enough to let us have a voice and a say,” said Jones, part of the Turner Field Community Benefits Coalition.

Developers and many local government leaders are likely to want to move quickly with the sale. Empty stadiums create a vacuum and do not age well. And Turner Field could cost the authority as much as $5 million in annual maintenance costs, according to its executive director, Keisha Lance Bottoms, also an Atlanta council member.

The authority will pursue a competitive bidding process for the sale of Turner Field, she said. But it’s still unclear exactly whether the Atlanta City Council and the Fulton County Commission have final say on the issue, though Reed has said the decision rests with the authority alone.

The board of the authority — which maintains and operates Turner Field, Philips Arena and other sites — tips in Reed’s favor, with six Atlanta representatives and three from Fulton.

The Braves, for their part, said in a statement Thursday that the team will play some part in The Ted’s future.

“While we still have plenty of games to win before the end of the 2016 season, we want nothing but the best for the surrounding neighborhoods and will continue to cooperate with city and county officials and our community partners as they consider what comes next.”