A drive along Circle 75 Parkway in the Cumberland Mall area reveals clearly that the Braves’ plans for a new stadium have moved from the boardrooms to the bulldozers.
Large swaths of trees have been removed. Heavy equipment continues to clear and grade the land. Silt fencing lines the site.
Signs facing both Circle 75 and Windy Ridge parkways announce what’s going on: “Clearing and grading project to facilitate pipeline relocation.”
That refers to the first phase of the stadium construction project: moving three underground gas pipelines, which run through the heart of the site, to the perimeter of the property. The relocation, scheduled to be completed by November, is necessary because buildings can’t be constructed atop the gas lines.
Smaller yellow signs surrounding the site announce that rezoning applications have been filed and the dates of two public meetings to hear the matter: July 1 by Cobb’s planning commission and July 15 by the county’s board of commissioners.
There is no signage declaring the site the future home of the Braves, at least not yet. The only vague reference to the baseball team is a notation on the other signs that the property is owned by “BRED Co. LLC.”
BRED stands for Braves Real Estate Development, a subsidiary that the team formed last September to acquire land for its then-secret plan to build a new stadium and mixed-use development, both of which are scheduled to open at the start of the 2017 season.
