Cobb Commissioners OK New Braves Stadium Deal

After several months of negotiations between Cobb County and the Atlanta Braves, the agreement surrounding the baseball club’s new stadium slated for the Cumberland area is now a done deal.

Cobb Commissioners voted on Tuesday on the operating agreement that will bound the county to borrow up to $397 million to construct a new stadium, which is set to open prior to the 2017 season.

The commissioners also approved a series of contracts that spell out the terms of the relationship between Cobb and the Braves that will keep the team in the county for 30 years.

Also approved was a joint venture of four builders, American Builders 2017, as the construction manager to build the new stadium.

All were approved by 5-0 unanimous votes, save for the resolution authorizing the issuance of the bonds. Commissioner Lisa Cupid voted against the resolution, stating that documents were not released by the county until this past Friday evening.  

Transparency, or a lack thereof by the commission, was an issue for several of those in attendance at Tuesday night’s meeting. However, a handful of people who wanted to voice their disapproval on how the deal was conducted, were denied a chance to speak.

The public comment of portion of the meeting, which was determined by a first-come, first-to-speak basis, featured just a dozen speakers, all of whom were in favor of the Braves coming to Cobb. Some of those who were not granted a chance to speak were escorted out of the meeting by police as the attached video from WSB TV depicts.

See here for more on the breakdown of the deal that will be bringing the Braves and Major League Baseball to Cobb in 2017.