Cobb officials recommend approval for Braves zoning
Cobb County officials are recommending approval of the Atlanta Braves rezoning application for a private mixed-use development adjacent to the new stadium, but with several suggestions that likely will come at the expense of the team or developer.
The county would like to see several water retention facilities and new traffic signals at the site, along with sidewalks along the front of the property. The county also recommends that the Braves donate some property in the right of way along Circle 75 Parkway.
The recommendations, made by county staff from various departments, were in a report given Monday to the Cobb Planning Commission, which will hold the first of two public hearings on the rezoning request July 1. A second public hearing will be held July 15 by Cobb Commissioners, who will then vote on the rezoning application.
“Staff believes developing this property as a unified development would be preferable to having a half-dozen (or more) separate developments with many uncoordinated access points and storm water detention facilities,” the report says.
Mike Plant, the Braves’ executive vice president of business operations, said Tuesday that the team is close to announcing its development team for the mixed-use development.
“We are aware of the staff recommendations and are working through all those details, none of which cause us any concern with proceeding since we have quite a few months to do so,” he said.
The Braves have said the mixture of bars, restaurants, retail, office, housing and hotel will cost $400 million to build and will be open in time for the first pitch in the new ballpark in 2017. The rezoning request deals only with the mixed-use development, not the stadium.
Commissioner Bob Ott, who represents the Cumberland Mall area where the stadium and private development will be constructed, said there are no surprises in the report.
“In a lot of ways, everything staff has recommended is pretty standard,” Ott said.
Among the recommendations:
- Two or three small storm water detention and water treatment facilities will be needed, in addition to the larger primary system at the site.
- Use more expensive pervious pavement for any surface that exceeds 80 percent of the site. The maximum amount of impervious surface for most developments is 80 percent; the Braves have requested that they be allowed up to 90 percent of the development impervious.
- Build sidewalks along all road frontages.
- That the team be responsible for 100 percent of all traffic signals.
The report also suggests that the Braves follow recommendations made by the Georgia Regional Transportation Agency, which issued a report earlier this month that made suggestions for parking, roads and access to the site, along with multiple recommendations about pedestrian facilities to make walking around the site safer.
About the Author
Dan Klepal is editor of the local government team, supervising nine reporters covering county and municipal governments and metro Atlanta. Klepal came to the AJC in 2012, after a long career covering city halls in Cincinnati and Louisville, Ky. He has covered Gwinnett and Cobb counties before spending three years on the investigative team.
