The recreation authority charged with selling Turner Field will begin reviewing prospective buyers next week.
Bids to purchase the current of the Atlanta Braves are due today and will be unsealed as early as Monday, according to Keisha Lance Bottoms, the executive director of the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority. The authority has not announced by when a decision will be made.
Sure to be among the bidders is Georgia State University and real estate firm Carter, which announced its hopes in 2014 to redevelop Turner Field in a public and private mixed-use development. The entities are behind a $300 million project that includes student housing, apartments, retail and the conversion of Turner Field into a football stadium.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed has been the project's biggest cheerleader, though he's also said casino interests have inquired about the stadium site.
Many residents in the neighborhoods near the stadium have voiced concern that the process to sell the ballpark undercuts a community study, already underway, funded by the Atlanta Regional Commission. Residents failed in their efforts to halt the sale of Turner Field until the completion of that study next summer.
Officials say the potential buyer must incorporate some of the study's findings. They've urged speed in selling the ballpark as the Braves are set to vacate by Dec. 31, 2016.
The redevelopment area contained in the request for proposal covers six parcels, including the ballpark, totaling 67 acres of land. The Turner Field site is nearly 80 acres, but media lot, lots across the interstate and FanPlex are not included in the bid.
According to the RFP, which was issued on Oct. 2, the chosen developer will be the one determined to be best able "to create an economic anchor that drives demand for new development in the immediate area, generates new jobs and tax-paying activities while simultaneously facilitating the long-term integration of Atlanta's Downtown business district and surrounding neighborhoods."
It remains unclear just who will have the final say on the Turner Field sale.
Fulton County and Atlanta leaders have yet to agree on whether the Atlanta City Council and Fulton County Commission must approve the deal.
Reed has said the recreation authority alone has the power to approve a development deal. Fulton County Chairman John Eaves disagrees, saying the county owns property at the ballpark and therefore has a vote.
About the Author
