More on the Braves Leaving Turner Field
By Paul Festa
More odds and ends on Braves moving from Turner Field.
The Braves will have a new home in 2017.
The Atlanta Braves announced yesterday that they will not renew their lease on Turner Field in Atlanta. They plan to move into a new facility in Cobb County, GA in 2017. It will be a 42,000-seat, $672 million stadium complex near the Cobb Galleria mall. The proposed stadium will be part of a 60-acre development.
Turner Field was built for the 1996 summer Olympics in Atlanta, with the intention that it be turned into a baseball stadium for the Braves after the summer games. The Braves started play there in 1997.
Braves executives John Schuerholz, Mike Plant, and Derek Schiller said negotiations broke down with Fulton County officials earlier this year. They also have not signed a contract with Cobb County, but are “100 percent certain” it will happen. Funding will come from a combination of the Braves and the Cobb County government. The team will be responsible for any cost overruns.
Turner Field was a nice ballpark, but it was difficult to get to while navigating notorious Atlanta rush hour traffic. That was one of the reasons cited by Braves ownership for the move. The bottom line is, the Braves felt they got a better deal from Cobb County, and that it will be better for their team and their finances moving forward.
The Ted will be the first of the “modern retro” ballparks to close, and it will do so after only 20 years of operation.