MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) - Cobb County leaders on Tuesday approved seven agreements governing the Atlanta Braves’ move and plans to build a new stadium.
The Cobb County Commission voted 5-0 on an operating agreement that calls for the Braves to occupy the new stadium for at least 30 years. Opponents to the move and stadium deal spoke out during the meeting, and local news media outlets reported that some were asked to leave for being disruptive.
The agreements up for a vote included deals with the Braves, the Cumberland Community Improvement District; and the Cobb-Marietta Exhibition Hall Authority.
The county is set to contribute $368 million toward the cost of the $672 million project, with the team providing the remainder of the funding. The new stadium is scheduled to open in 2017, replacing Turner Field.
The Braves have said the new ballpark will seat 41,500 and will be the hub of a “play, work, stay” destination including shops, restaurants and entertainment venues, as well as a boutique hotel, office space and approximately 500 residences.
“It will be a first of its kind: a new place that will simultaneously create a major sports venue and surrounding community, which will fit seamlessly together from the first pitch,” the team said.
The city of Atlanta, meanwhile, is considering proposals for the Braves’ current home, which was built for the 1996 Summer Olympics and converted into a baseball stadium the following year.
Georgia State University has proposed converting Turner Field into a 30,000-seat football stadium and building a new college baseball park on the footprint of the former Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, which was torn down in 1997. Georgia State’s proposal is part of a $300 million development that would also include retail space, residential housing and student dorms.
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