The future of Turner Field following the Atlanta Braves’ departure has finally been determined, as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution‘s Katie Leslie and J. Scott Trubey reported Monday the 20-year-old venue will be sold to real estate firm Carter and Georgia State University.
Monday’s announcement by the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority comes on the heels of a two-month bid process that left the future of the former Olympic Stadium in doubt.
Carter and Georgia State plan to restructure Turner Field into a football stadium and add student housing, apartments and retail to the area, per the AJC.
WSB-TV showed an early rendition of how the alterations will look:
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed issued a statement of approval following Monday’s announcement of the sale that will ensure Turner Field continues to live on:
I am pleased with the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority’s unanimous decision to sell Turner Field to Georgia State University and Carter. Today’s sale is a significant step forward in the continued revitalization of the Summerhill, Peoplestown, Mechanicsville, Pittsburgh and Grant Park neighborhoods and strengthens Georgia State University’s position as one of the leading universities in the nation.
This acquisition will provide substantial benefits to the surrounding community, including long-term job creation and business expansion, and will enable our state’s largest public university to build an anchor for its campus, improving the student experience and supporting our city for generations to come.
Jay Busbee of Yahoo Sports also chimed in, sharing his conviction for Turner Field’s future:
The urgency of Turner Field’s future reached the forefront with the Braves leaving after the 2016 season for suburban Atlanta. There awaits $672 million SunTrust Park, their new home, whose construction is heavily aided by taxpayer funding.
Many in Atlanta have argued against the Braves moving away for a slew of reasons.
By the time the team leaves, Turner Field’s tenure will be just 19 years, which is younger than some players’ careers. Moving the Braves away from the city and within the wealthy suburbs has also raised questions of race and class.
And with teams like the Chicago Cubs privately funding their $575 million overhaul to Wrigley Field, it’s hard to stomach why the Braves need a new stadium with a sizable contribution from the government.
Meanwhile, Turner Field was being jettisoned in the dust with almost no empathy for the impact it had.
It was originally built as the Olympic Stadium for the 1996 Summer Games, an event that put Atlanta on the international map.
In an era of Olympic bidding in which cities such as Boston want nothing to do with sport’s most iconic event because of cost overruns stemming from venue construction, Turner Field is an embodiment of arguably the most sustainable Olympic venue in the modern era.
It’s refreshing to see it return to its roots as a home for amateur athletics.
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