In surprise statement, Reed says Turner Field could be sold soon

Monday: The Braves $400 million mixed use development is taking shape

Details of SunTrust Park remain scarce

Tuesday: Taxpayers will have to pay more than expected to build a pedestrian bridge across I-285 to the stadium site

Today: Turner Field could be sold soon, Reed says

Coming Sunday: Coors Field in Denver shows what could have been in Atlanta

GSU TURNER FIELD PROPOSAL

The $300 million development plan for the 77 acres includes:

GSU TURNER FIELD PROPOSAL

The $300 million development plan for the 77 acres includes:

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed says Turner Field could be “sold very soon,” news that comes as a surprise to some of the ballpark’s neighbors who have hoped to create a master plan for redevelopment.

In an exclusive interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Channel 2 Action News, the mayor said he’s close to making a decision on two previously publicized paths for The Ted after the Atlanta Braves depart for Cobb County.

One is to sell the land to a Georgia State University development team that would revamp the land into a sports and student housing campus. The other is to sell the property outright to unnamed private interests, a move that he says would likely eliminate public input.

Reed was short on specifics about the deal this week, but hinted he favors the university option, noting “there is a path with Georgia State” and that he’ll only spend a “finite amount of time on the issue.”

Georgia State spokeswoman Andrea Jones said it would be premature for the university to comment on Reed’s statement. A senior executive with Carter, a development partner in the GSU plan, declined comment.

For the mayor, whose administration bore much of the blame for the Braves’ 2013 decision to leave Atlanta, finding a new owner is fulfilling a pledge he made a year ago.

“The concern that day was it was going to be a 77-acre vacant park that would cause the community to deteriorate… and I said that’s not true,” he said. “I knew that one way or another, we were going to do a major development there. And I’m honoring my commitment and that’s what is going to happen.”

His statement came as a surprise to other political and community leaders, many of whom have recently called for a greater say in what becomes of Turner Field once the Braves leave after the team’s 2016 season.

Just last month, Fulton County Commission Chairman John Eaves told Reed that his county, which also owns land at the ballfield, must be included in development decisions. The men have had an icy relationship over issues including jail crowding and recidivism rates.

The Fulton chairman said he’s unaware of an impending sale and criticized Reed this week for brokering a deal without community input.

Eaves said he understands real estate negotiations require a level of discretion. “But when you’re talking about redeveloping property that directly impacts the community, it’s very disingenuous to do so without input on the front end,” he said.

The mayor said he’s disclosing a sale could come soon in an effort to be transparent. He noted that he’s repeatedly given updates about potential buyers. “I don’t want anyone to feel surprised,” he said.

Eaves said he doesn’t “see a rush” in selling the property, especially before the Braves make its departure date known.

The team has little reason to make that decision soon. Cobb County faces a challenge to its plans to issue $397 million in bonds for stadium construction.

The Braves do not need to inform the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority (AFCRA), which owns the ballpark, of its intent to move until the end of 2015. The team has the right to extend its lease by four five-year options.

Reed has repeatedly pressed the team to declare a departure date, a move he says will make selling the property easier. But Eaves has called for flexibility, such as allowing the team to stay at Turner Field through 2018 if needed.

Reed declined to comment on Eaves’ suggestion that the Braves be given a lease extension. The mayor said Eaves’ discussions with the Braves “have nothing to do with any decisions I make.”

A sample of residents from the stadium neighborhoods were divided on whether the property should be quickly sold, but were clear in wanting a say in how the area redevelops. Many residents are already knee-deep in meetings over Turner Field’s future. Some want time to develop a master plan for the area and a prominent role in seeing that vision come to life.

“We’re interested in a thoughtful, deliberate, transparent and inclusive process around the redevelopment,” said Suzanne Mitchell, head of the Organized Neighbors of Summerhill and sister-in-law to Atlanta City Council President Ceasar Mitchell.

Residents like Robert Welsh, of Peoplestown, are worried Reed’s pending news could upend dreams that the next development will address what he calls “equity issues,” such as affordable housing.

“Folks are feeling like the community does not have a real seat at the table and that the mayor, for whatever reason, is ramrodding his agenda,” he said.

Reed has been similarly criticized as a go-it-alone mayor in recent high-profile real estate deals, showing a preference to lead negotiations. Ultimately, the mayor has delivered plans that won needed approval from the Atlanta City Council and other invested government agencies.

Take, for instance, the nearly $1.3 billion Atlanta Falcons football stadium, a deal Reed brokered with state and team officials and pushed through the city council in 2013.

And earlier this year, the mayor negotiated a $33 million deal with filmmaker Tyler Perry to purchase the majority of Fort McPherson and convert the land into a film studio, a deal the civilian authority overseeing the post’s redevelopment ultimately supported.

District 1 Councilwoman Carla Smith has repeatedly said the Turner Field project should be different. For nearly 60 years, neighborhoods such as Mechanicsville and Summerhill have had land seized for stadiums and interstates. Those public works projects cut into the fabric of what was once a bustling in-town community, halting economic development and dashing hopes that the neighborhoods would again thrive.

“The neighborhood has been living for years with things that were put on them,” Smith said. “I believe it’s time for the neighborhood to have a say in what comes next.”

Smith formed a task force last year to gain input. Among the residents’ requests, the group wants a community benefits plan to precede any real estate deal. Smith said she’s also pursuing grant money to fund large-scale neighborhood redevelopment plans, something residents have said they want to guide future projects.

For those reasons, “I think the community would not be happy if they are not included in the (mayor’s) decision.”

The mayor, for his part, said he “is open to whatever (residents) have to offer” about Turner Field.

It’s unclear whether any announced sale would easily gain support from other stakeholders. Public officials from Atlanta and Fulton County, as well as the AFCRA, must jointly approve any deal.

In response to Eaves’ request to be included in Turner Field discussions, Reed noted that Atlanta holds the majority of seats on the AFCRA board.

James Hughes, chairman of the authority, could not be immediately reached for comment about Reed’s statement. But in an interview last week, Hughes said “all options are open” regarding Turner Field’s redevelopment and that the “management of the process of the sale or redevelopment of the property has not been firmly established.”