On Tuesday, Cobb County commissioners granted approval to a settlement with the Atlanta Braves, resolving a dispute over millions in fees associated with SunTrust Park and The Battery development.
Over the last several months, the two sides were locked in a dispute over certain fees. Cobb County requested in May that the Braves pay $1.5 million for water infrastructure, but the team did not believe that it was on the hook for that cost. Cobb County eventually declared the Braves to be in default on the development agreement between the two sides, but the organization countered that the county owed it more than $4.6 million in various obligations.
The dispute was expected to proceed to mediation, but county commissioners voted by a 4-1 margin on Tuesday morning to approve a settlement with the Braves. Under the terms of the settlement, the Braves will pay $1.5 million for water infrastructure, while Cobb County agrees to pay the team for project management costs and pay off its portion of transportation infrastructure. More from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
According to the settlement approved Tuesday, the Braves agree to pay the full $1.5 million for water infrastructure.
The county, for its part, will pay the Braves $120,000 for project management costs. Cobb also promised to finish paying off its obligation for transportation infrastructure.
Last year, after a disagreement over whether Cobb had satisfied a $14 million transportation obligation, the county agreed to pay $11.8 million to meet that obligation. $11.3 of that money came out of the water fund, with the remaining balance to be paid in installments. About $327,000 remains.
Chairman Mike Boyce cast the settlement as a win for the county, noting the net payment to Cobb of more than $1 million.
SunTrust Park opened in 2017. The ballpark itself was financed through a $672 million public-private partnership that included $376.6 million in bonds issued by Cobb County. The Braves and other development partners funded The Battery Atlanta, an adjacent mixed-use development.