The bidding process for Turner Field is well underway, with offers on the property due later this month. Still, Fulton County and Atlanta leaders have yet to agree on a long-running dispute over who gets to decide the fate of the ballpark.
Mayor Kasim Reed has said the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority alone has the power to approve a development deal. But Fulton County has insisted it has a say, and Atlanta council members are wondering if they, too, get to weigh in.
In a recent meeting with the city council’s finance committee, Reed didn’t rule out the possibility of the council also taking a vote, but said approval by Fulton County isn’t required.
“Fulton County may have a different opinion,” Reed told the finance committee in October. “But that’s my opinion and that’s the opinion I’ve gotten from every attorney I’ve consulted with.”
Chairman John Eaves has long maintained that the county gets a final vote. On Monday, he held his ground during a public meeting with residents near Turner Field.
“Despite what you’ve heard, Fulton County is still a player in all of this,” said Eaves, who was joined by Commissioners Marvin Arrington Jr. and Bob Ellis, who sit on the recreation authority board. “We own assets. We own property. We own parcels. And any transaction that occurs does require our approval.”
The final approval question has perplexed the commission and city council alike in the years since the Braves announced their planned departure to Cobb County. And though city and county officials have made public statements about working collaboratively on the sale of Turner Field, the governments have yet to agree on this critical element.
During the October hearing, Atlanta Councilwoman Felicia Moore pushed for clarity on who from the city gets to weigh in.
“You will really have to give me a lot of background information that suggests the mayor would have the ability to act on behalf of the city without some sort of authorization or agreement from council,” she told the authority’s executive director, Councilmember Keisha Lance Bottoms, during the October hearing.
Atlanta’s law department, which is tasked with reviewing whether the city council has a say on the buyer, has not made a final determination on the issue, spokeswoman Anne Torres said. Torres added that any discussions between Reed and the law department on whether Fulton gets a vote is protected by attorney-client privilege.
Fulton County Attorney Jerolyn Ferrari was more forthcoming. "Fulton County, by and through its own governing body, must consent or agree to a conveyance because of the one-third interest which the title examination shows that Fulton County holds at Turner Field."
Ferrari declined to say what what would happen if the city and county fail to reach agreement, but noted, “I am optimistic, however, that the parties will work together.”
State Rep. Margaret Kaiser, a Grant Park resident who came to Monday’s meeting, wants a clear answer. She said she’s concerned that the recreation authority alone could execute the sale. The authority is comprised of nine members, with six appointed by Atlanta and three by Fulton.
“These are not elected officials. At the end of the day, they are appointed by elected officials,” Kaiser said. “We’d like an answer once and for all.”
It’s unclear how the dispute will be resolved and what impact it will have on the sale. But that issue may be moot altogether, some residents at the meeting said.
Residents Scott Callison and Alex Lima expressed frustration that, despite the public meetings and competitive bidding process, the future of the ballpark already seems decided in favor of a deal with Georgia State University and real estate firm Carter.
Reed has repeatedly expressed support for that proposal, which involves a $300 million mix of student housing, apartments, retail and the conversion of Turner Field into a football stadium.
“What I’m hearing a lot is that it’s just an exercise in futility, that this is a foregone conclusion,” Callison said.
A few residents said they were worried the Georgia State development would bring “party-goers” and harm their home values if homeowners turn over their property to student renters. But Jackson Faw, a Peoplestown resident, said he welcomes the plan as Georgia State would bring campus police and increase the area’s security.
Others, like Jane Ridley, said they were disappointed that Mechanicsville was “left out” of the request for proposals altogether.
The RFP covers six parcels, including the ballpark, totaling 67 acres of land. The Turner Field site is nearly 80 acres, but the media lot, lots west of the Downtown Connector and FanPlex are not included in the bid. Bids are due Nov. 20.
The Fulton leaders pledged to advocate on behalf of the residents as the authority weighs the bids.
The stakes have never been higher, Arrington said. “I think this is the single most important thing that will define this community going forward.”
About the Author
