The Fulton County Board of Commissioners Wednesday postponed action on a resolution calling for the county and the city of Atlanta to agree on a process for redeveloping Turner Field.
The resolution would ask the city to work with the county to develop a detailed plan for soliciting public input on the project. The resolution also calls for the governments to solicit proposals from interested developers.
Chairman John Eaves proposed the resolution, but said he wanted to give commissioners more time to offer feedback before a vote. Several expressed concern that the resolution was too specific in its prescription for how the process should proceed.
Mayor Kasim Reed has taken the lead on negotiating with interested developers – so far only Georgia State University has publicly expressed interest. But Eaves has said the county must have a say in the project, citing Fulton’s one-third interest in the stadium property.
Reed has maintained that the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority – not the County Commission or City Council – will have the final say on the project.
On Wednesday, recreation authority Executive Director Keisha Lance Bottoms said the agency is “working towards formalizing an open, collaborative and competitive process for the sale of Turner Field.”
“While there are varying thoughts on how this process should proceed, it would be detrimental to each of our stakeholders to hastily announce a plan until we are certain that it serves the best interest of all involved,” she said.
Staff writer Katie Leslie contributed to this report.
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