Although the Braves won't be playing baseball at Turner Field in 2017, the Atlanta stadium will still host sporting events moving forward as Georgia State University and Atlanta-based real estate firm Carter were chosen Monday as the winning bidder for the downtown Atlanta stadium site.
The Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority board announced it will begin negotiating the sale of the downtown stadium and much of the surrounding parking lots.
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“After a thorough review of all the proposals, including in-person presentations, the Board of the City of Atlanta and Fulton County Recreation Authority has a preferred bidder and will commence negotiations immediately,” board chairman William K Whitner said in a news release. “We will move forward expeditiously to ensure that we make meaningful progress toward determining the future of this historic neighborhood."
The Georgia State-Carter renovation and redevelopment of the 67-acre area surrounding Turner Field involves a $300 million mix of student housing, apartments, retail and the conversion of "The Ted" into a 30,000 seat open-air stadium for football games.
The Braves' last regular season home game at Turner Field is scheduled for Oct. 2 next year against the Tigers. The team will open the 2017 season at SunTrust Park just north of Atlanta in Cobb County.