A rendering of the planned Roxy Theatre at SunTrust Park multiuse, 60-acre destination development opening in 2017.
Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves have teamed up with Live Nation to develop and operate a 53,000-square-foot venue at a new mixed-use community adjacent to SunTrust Park, which opens in 2017. The 4,000-capacity theater will be named The Roxy Theatre after an iconic city venue from the 80s and 90s.
Live Nation will operate and book the venue as well as oversee ticketing and promotion for the concerts and special events. The financials of the deal have not been released.
“This brings back a historic brand and theater people remember for all it did in the 80s and 90s, and it fits a niche in the market,” said Peter Conlon, president of Live Nation Atlanta. “There is not another theater this size in the city.”
The Roxy Theatre will be comprised of two levels, including a flat floor general audience level and a second story balcony with a premium lounge space. The theater will have a standing-room-only capacity of 4,000 and host approximately 40 to 50 music or comedy shows a year, mostly on nongame days. The space will also be used for private and special events throughout the year.
“No bookings have been announced yet, but we will bring in acts that typically fit in with theaters of this size, like family events, rock and country acts, it will run the gamut,” said Conlon. “We are confident the theater will bring in additional shows to the market.”
The Roxy Theatre will be situated at the north end of a plaza outside the gates of SunTrust Park. The ballpark will have capacity for 41,500 and is being developed by the Braves in partnership with Cobb County, the Cobb-Marietta Coliseum and Exhibit Hall Authority and the Cumberland CID. It will be completed by opening day 2017 and located at the intersection of I-75 and I-285 in Atlanta’s Cumberland CID.
“The Roxy will be an additional draw that brings in top acts and a different cross section of people seeking entertainment options outside of what happens on game days,” said Derek Schiller, the Atlanta Braves’ executive vice president of sales and marketing. “Other uses for the Roxy are still being determined, but it’s possible we can host a large group before or after a game, as we don’t have a group area that large within SunTrust Park.”
The $400-million privately-funded mixed-use development project will be a first of its kind that will simultaneously build and integrate a Major League Baseball ballpark with a multiuse development and community.
The initial phase of the 60-acre, mixed-use development will total approximately 1.5 million square feet. Anchoring the southern end of the plaza will be the 260-room Omni Atlanta Hotel at SunTrust Park as well as a nine-story office tower housing more than 1,000 Comcast employees. Restaurants, including chef-driven cuisine, a brewpub and additional fast casual options, will surround the plaza.
AT THE PREVIEW CENTER
The Braves have begun selling season tickets to the new ballpark at the newly-opened SunTrust Park Preview Center, which overlooks SunTrust Park and is adjacent to the mixed-use community construction. Outfitted with meeting rooms named after Braves legends, the center includes flythrough videos of the mixed-use community, the exterior of SunTrust Park as well as key amenity areas within the ballpark. Visitors can physically sit in various types of seating configurations and see a detailed scaled model of the ballpark and the mixed-use community. Visits to the preview center are by appointment only, but the exterior flythrough video and new additional ballpark renderings can be viewed on the Braves website.
All current Braves season-ticketholders, or A List Members, have been assigned a two-week appointment time period to meet with the Braves Membership Services Team at the SunTrust Park Preview Center to discuss available options. Others interested in securing tickets to SunTrust Park are advised to purchase prorated 2015 season tickets or join the park’s priority list for a $100 refundable deposit.
“We expect the process of relocating current season-ticketholders to last through the rest of the 2015 season,” said Schiller. “After that is complete, we will open up season-ticket sales to everyone.” Personal seat licenses will not be available.
Nonpremium seats that range from $6 to $90 or premium seating that range from $85 to $475 will be available to season-ticketholders. More than 19,000 seats will be priced under $20 per seat, with more than 7,000 seats priced less than $10. Almost 6,000 added value seats will start at $40 per ticket. These include food and beverage credits and restricted area access. The average ticket price for A List Members at SunTrust Park will be $28, just under the Major League Baseball average of $29
Interviewed for this article: Peter Conlon, (404) 364-4277; Derek Schiller, (404) 614-1336