Georgia State submits bid for Turner Field
Georgia State submitted a bid for Turner Field and the surrounding land, according to associate athletic director Mike Holmes.
The documents were due to the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority by 5 p.m. Friday.
In Georgia State’s original plan, university president Mark Becker said the school and its partners would consider retrofitting Turner Field into a 30,000-seat football stadium, and constructing a baseball stadium in an adjacent lot. Retail, residential and student housing would also be constructed. The estimated price tag was $300 million.
- Renovating, reusing or re-purposing the stadium structure "as a key asset in the development program or provide an 'iconic' replacement structure;"
- Creating a "dynamic mixed-use" destination;
- Finishing development within five years of breaking ground;
- Incorporating recommendations from the ARC's community development study;
- And incorporating Atlanta's sports heritage, such as Hank Aaron's home run records, the Braves World Series Championship and the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games.
Georgia State plays football in the Georgia Dome, which it leases per game. Its baseball and soccer teams play in Panthersville.
The Turner Field proposal could move football, soccer and track and field much closer to campus, helping to fulfill Becker’s goal of giving students a total college experience.
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