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Cobb Galleria officials are eager to welcome the Atlanta Braves to their new home on the other side of Interstate 285, but some board members are concerned that doing so will come at a cost — money, business, parking spaces and convenience for their customers.
A bridge carrying pedestrians and people-moving trams over I-285 to the SunTrust Park development — which includes a new baseball stadium and mixed-use development with a concert venue — will connect to a parking deck at the Galleria Centre.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Tuesday that the Galleria parking deck will have to be strengthened to accommodate transit buses and emergency vehicles trying to access the bridge. The Galleria will lose 96 parking spaces because of the bridge, and it is not yet known how much reinforcing the deck will cost, or who will pay for it.
Galleria Authority member Earl Smith, a former chairman of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce and founder of E. Smith Heating & Air Conditioning, said during a meeting Tuesday that he’s excited about the Braves development but the board needs to look out for its clients first.
Smith said he was particularly concerned about the Braves plan for a 4,000-person concert hall, called the Roxy Theatre, which will be operated and booked by promoter Live Nation, when the Galleria is being asked to sacrifice parking spaces, perhaps pay for some reinforcing the deck and have added security expenses.
“I’m a business person,” Smith said. “When I … see that the Braves now are going to go in the entertainment business with a facility over there — we do that. … Competition is OK, but you don’t ask your competitors to pay for something that you’re going to use and nobody else.”
Smith made those comments after board member Bob Voyles explained the bridge plan to the board and said that the parking deck would have to be reinforced. Voyles said the Galleria will study the impact of the development on its operations.
“We need to be looking at how we continue to improve and stay best in class from an operational standpoint, from an amenity standpoint and from a connectivity standpoint,” Voyles told the board.
Mayors Steve Tumlin (Marietta) and Max Bacon (Smyrna) shared Smith’s concerns. Both also said they are excited about the Braves development.
“Who’s going to pay for it?” Tumlin asked of the parking garage reinforcement.
Braves spokeswoman Beth Marshall did not respond to questions submitted Wednesday by the AJC through email.
Cobb Commission Chairman Tim Lee, who is also a Galleria board member, said after the meeting that he was encouraged.
“They clearly want to continue to work together to turn the concept of the bridge into a reality,” Lee said in an email through a spokeswoman. “As more details emerge, I look forward to continuing the conversation and collectively developing solutions to move the project forward.”
In addition to the concerns mentioned by Smith, an additional dozen issues are outlined in meeting minutes from a July 7 private meeting between county transportation officials, the county’s bridge contractor and Galleria officials. The AJC obtained the document through Georgia’s Open Records Act.
According to the minutes, among the Galleria’s concerns:
- Loading and unloading the transit vehicle at the entrance of the convention center would create too much congestion and confusion.
- Heavy traffic outside the Galleria Centre would add to "significant backups when conventions let out."
- Developers of a potential four-star hotel adjacent to the parking deck won't want a transit bus passing by its front entrance.
- How pedestrians coming off the bridge would mix with conventioneers.
Voyles, principal of real estate developer Seven Oaks Company and chairman of the Galleria board’s real estate committee, said solutions are still being worked out.
“Our facility people are responsible for day-to-day operations,” Voyles said. “I just see that as part of the process.
