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Developer emerges for new Braves ballpark project

New Atlanta Braves ballpark

There’s power in being the last firm standing, as a consortium led by Pope & Land Enterprises and Fuqua Development is the frontrunner to land the $400-million development deal at the new Atlanta Braves ballpark site.

The site in suburban Cobb County was chosen by the Braves and county officials both for its freeway location and its development potential. That potential attracted the attention of the likes of AEG (whose plan originally included heavyweight Hines Interests) and two other large firms.

But AEG and the other firms dropped out, leaving one group standing: Pope & Land Enterprises, Fuqua Development LLC, Pollack Shores Real Estate Group, and Batson Cook Development Co. Ironically, the plan from the Braves and Cobb County looks much like the AEG entertainment development next to Staples Center — L.A. Live. From an interview of Cobb Chairman Tim Lee in the Marietta Daily Journal:

“Based on my conversations, it’s likely that the project will go to the Pope & Land and Fuqua consortium,” Lee said. “Based on my conversations with the Braves organization, although the requests for proposal haven’t come in, the conversations to date would indicate that.”…

The mixed-use development, Lee predicts, will look similar to L.A. Live, an entertainment complex in downtown Los Angeles adjacent to the Staples Center that was developed by AEG.

“It’s a mix of retail, office, condos, restaurants, shops, parks, water features. It will be a destination hangout kind of place,” he said. “You’re going to come here and you’re going to have a baseball stadium, and you’re going to have all these shops and all this retail, and all this condominium stuff that’s going to be part of the mix. And Jerde is helping them try to figure out what the look, the feel, the energy level, how should they design it to create an environment that is appealing for people to want to go and hang out and make it an experience, rather than just something you drive to, go to and go back.”

Two decisions on planning have already been made: Populous will be designing the ballpark and L.A.-based Jerde Partnership is handling the land planning.

RELATED STORIES: Alliance protests Braves ballpark public funding; Advertising exec: Keep MLB at Turner Field once Braves depart; Populous lands Atlanta Braves ballpark design deal; Designing a new Atlanta Braves ballpark: hitting the road; Braves may ask for state aid on new ballpark; Ted Turner: Preserve Turner Field as green space; New Braves ballpark hits resistance from school district, Tea Party; Could new Braves ballpark be derailed by lawsuit?; New Braves ballpark hits $1B with additional of entertainment district; Gone too soon, or good riddance? Thoughts in Turner Field’s future demolition; Braves to pay $372M toward new ballpark, Cobb County $300M; Turner Field to be torn down in 2017; Braves to leave Turner Field, will build new Cobb County ballpark

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