Turner Field, Atlanta
The Atlanta Braves sent a shockwave through their fan base on Nov. 11 when they announced that a new stadium will be built in Cobb County, Georgia, and become the Braves' new home in 2017.
The new 42,000-seat stadium will cost the team and county a combined $672 million, $300 million of which will reportedly be paid by the county.
Team officials say the Braves and city had been negotiating toward a new lease but could not come to an agreement. The Braves' current home, Turner Field, was built in 1996 as an 85,000-seat stadium as part of the agreement to bring the Olympics to Atlanta and was downsized in 1997 to fit baseball's standards.
While it would seem that a ballpark built in the late-90s would still be up to par with others in the big leagues, Braves Executive Vice President of Business Operations Mike Plant said they would need to spend in the range of $200 million to catch up to the standard of the rest of the league.
The team plans to have amenities in the new stadium that match or exceed the caliber of a newer ballpark such as Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati or even up to the standard of Staples Center, home to the NBA's L.A. Lakers, Clippers and NHL's Kings.
"One of the things we will look at closely is a number of different levels of amenities that will provide a vast array of venue opportunities for our fans," Plant said.
Since Turner Field debuted in 1996, 16 new Major League Baseball ballparks have opened. The difference between the Braves' new stadium and many recent parks is that the Braves are moving away from the downtown area. Most of the new parks - notably Detroit's Comerica Park, Minnesota's Target Field and Pittsburgh's PNC Park - took suburban venues and moved them into the city.
Part of the reason for the exit from downtown for the Braves is simply demographics.
"We have the vast majority of our season ticket holders in the Northern arc of Atlanta," Plant said. "You've seen articles out about how stadiums are moving to downtown areas and, while that might be true, every market is different."
Another facet of the move is improving the ease in which fans come and go from Braves games.
"We had a lot of challenges involving access like lack of mass transit, lack of parking - we're going to address a lot of those things going to a new site," Plant said.
The team had been battling to acquire 5,000 more parking spaces for Turner Field and was troubled by the lack of direct access to the MARTA rapid-transit system. The hope is that making the new stadium more accessible will improve the team's attendance, which currently ranks 21st in baseball in terms of percentage of the stadium filled per game and 13th in total gate.
There are still concerns that the new location, around 10 miles from Turner Field, will cause traffic issues. It will be located at the interchange of I-75 and I-285, two of Atlanta's busier interstate highways.
While there have been criticisms of the move, Major League Baseball says it is supporting a new park.
"The Braves have kept us apprised of their stadium situation throughout this process," MLB Comissioner Selig said in a statement. "Major League Baseball fully supports their decision to move to a new ballpark in Atlanta for the 2017 season, and we look forward to their continued excellence representing their community, both on and off the field."
Team officials have been making visits to venues around the country as they formulate a design. Plant said the team is working with HKS Architects, and announcements on designs are forthcoming.
The Braves expect to start construction on the stadium in the second half of 2014. The next immediate step for the full-go is getting the approval of the County Commissioner, which will take place on Nov. 26.
Interviewed for this story: Mike Plant, (404) 522-7630