The authority that controls Turner Field plans to hold a community meeting Wednesday to discuss the ballpark’s future.
The Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority will hold the meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the stadium’s 755 Club at 755 Hank Aaron Drive, Southeast. The meeting is expected to include discussion about the anticipated timeline for the authority to seek ideas and a developer for the ballpark and surrounding land.
AFCRA Executive Director Keisha Lance Bottoms, board chairman William Whitner and representatives of real estate services firm CBRE are scheduled to attend, according to a meeting notice.
The notice says participants will discuss “information regarding the anticipated timeline and process for issuing the (request for proposals) for Turner Field and surrounding properties.”
The future of Turner Field after the Braves leave for a new stadium in Cobb County has been a hot topic for neighborhoods near The Ted. It's sparked community meetings and political debate.
The Braves announcement in August that the team would officially leave the stadium at the end of 2016 has pushed talk of development forward.
Many ideas have been floated and community groups have pressed City Hall, Fulton County and the authority to hold off until a community study funded by the Atlanta Regional Commission can be completed.
Mayor Kasim Reed has backed the study, but he's also shown support for a proposal by Georgia State University and real estate firm Carter for a $300 million mix of student housing, apartments, retail and the conversion of Turner Field into a football stadium. Reed has said the study should not hold up development.
Reed has said he’d like to see the request for proposals issued this month.
Reed has also said that casino companies have expressed interest in the site in the wake of news that MGM Resorts International has scouted downtown for a $1 billion-plus resort.
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