In the middle of Detroit, too.
What I'm hearing elsewhere on the internets is that the Braves wanted the (lack of) infrastructure around their park the way it is. They didn't want it near Marta, because that would take away from parking revenue. And they didn't want it in too trendy a neighborhood, because fewer people would eat and drink inside the ballpark. So they're complaining about things they asked for and will still have up in Sandy Spring or wherever.
I don't buy the "lack of accessibility" argument, anyways. It's got its own exit off an Interstate that's what, 16 lanes wide?
Anyway, it's not my problem. I won't be paying any Atlanta hotel taxes unless business takes me there. Y'all deserve whatever you end up with.
So, with the recent trend of Millenials to move closer to urban centers/downtowns(at least in the bigger northeastern cities), how does a move like this fit in? Having grown up in mostly suburb dominated cities(Phoenix, Charlotte, Nashville) without strong city centers, the goal there has always been to attract activity to the downtown areas. Occasionally that gets derailed, see the football stadium in Chandler.
One thing is for sure...Cobb County will eventually reap what they've sown. They'll get stuck with another colossal "investment" that has been repeatedly, demonstrably proven not to provide the long-term benefits it promises to municipalities, and they'll be stuck with even more crippling traffic after obstructing regional transit solutions for the past 40 years. That will at least provide some solace here.
(1) I have not heard any chatter that the Braves tried to keep the infrastructure around the stadium down. To the contrary, a constant refrain in Atlanta has been the lack of public transportation access and the lack of anything in the immediate vicinity of the stadium.
(2) The proposed new stadium makes weeknight games FAR more accessible for a vast majority of those that buy Braves tickets. Getting the current location from the northern suburbs, including Roswell and Alpharetta, is far easier than getting to the old stadium.
(3) The new stadium location is actually closer to the heart of Buckhead than the old stadium. It is about 5 miles further from the heart of Midtown than the old stadium, but doesn't require navigating any of downtown. People are acting like the stadium is being moved way out into the burbs ... its not. It is still right on the perimeter, and right between Vinings, Smyrna, and Sandy Springs, with easy access from Buckhead and midtown. You can feed into the new stadium location from 75 or 285.
(4) I imagine that there will be some traffic changes made to accommodate the new stadium. No stadium is built without the DOT being involved with changing things up.
I think a lot of people are being sentimental about going downtown to watch a Braves game, because it is all we have known here in Atlanta - from Fulton County Stadium to the Ted. I am excited for the new location. There are far more food options in the area and a lot of potential.
My Quick Smells Like French Toast.
Lots of good points in your post, Channing, but this is one of the understatements of the century. Have you ever driven through that corridor between, say 2 pm and 8 pm? It's a nightmare, even on Saturdays, without 40,000 more people trying to get in and out of a Braves game. Perhaps local residents will now clamor more for alternative transit options, but as I've already mentioned, they've generally clamored against such things for about 4 decades now. If this produces an increased traffic nightmare, then I'm of the opinion that they got what they deserved. If this somehow does produce traction for broader regional transit solutions, then I'll a) be astounded, and b) be ultimately thankful that that area has finally allowed Atlanta to begin evolving from car-addicted sprawl to a proper metropolitan area connected by modern, more efficient means. I'm not really holding my breath, though.
Time will tell. I think more traffic will shift to 400 with the closeout of the toll. I also certainly don't find the traffic at 285/75 to be worse than the traffic going through town, especially on a game day.
My biggest complaint and concern is that this whole negotiation (or lack thereof) was done under the cover of darkness and was announced one week after the mayor's reelection. I am not try to make a statement about Kasim Reed (I think he has been pretty good) but the timing sure does stink a little bit.
My Quick Smells Like French Toast.
How about Pile of Rubble?
Yes, they do plan a massive redevelopment for the area, but that's always much easier said than done.Atlanta's mayor said Tuesday that the city will demolish Turner Field after the Braves leave for a new stadium in the suburbs in 2017.
Demented and sad, but social, right?
I could see the exact opposite. It seems to me that a location in the suburbs is more convenient for families to attend. I don't know about you, but my sports loyalties were fully formed by the time I was living on my own and able to choose where I lived.
Moving to the suburbs may make the team more accessible to kids at the point they are having their allegiances formed.
A-men! As bad as 285 is, 75 is generally pretty good up until you get to the perimeter/Delk Rd kind of area. Regardless, it pales in comparison to the utter gridlock that is the downtown connector. That thing is a parking lot in the afternoons. I am thrilled I will be able to get to the stadium without navigating that morass.
While the secrecy is sorta troubling, it is not all that surprising. Lots of big projects like this happen this way. I don't really see it as something that would impact the civic officials election thought. Kwanza Hall, the member of the city council who has the stadium in his district (I think) ran unopposed for office because he is so popular. Kasim Reed faced 3 other candidates, usually a formula for some serious vote dilution, and still got 85% of the vote in the mayor's race. Frankly, the Braves, Hawks, and Falcons could have all announced they were leaving town because Kasim kicked them out and he still would have been re-elected.
-Jason "I think the fact that people will be coming at the new stadium from a lot of different directions (instead of just about everyone coming from only the north) will make the traffic a lot easier to handle" Evans
Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?
From a ticket sales standpoint, it's probably a no brainer. Current buyers are more local.
From an urban planning standpoint, it's probably a disastrous move. Millennials are raising kids downtown.
But in 20 years, they will probably move back downtown on marta and get both.
-jk
Most Braves fans living outside the perimeter face long commutes every day going to work. I doubt they will mind sitting in traffic on the way to the ballpark. They're used to it. One hopes the radio pregame show will be a bit more interesting though.
And what will the city do with the section of the wall in the blue lot commemorating Hammerin' Hanks 715?
Last edited by JBDuke; 11-13-2013 at 08:13 AM. Reason: fixed quote tag
Coach K on Kyle Singler - "What position does he play? ... He plays winner."
"Duke is never the underdog" - Quinn Cook
From what I know of Atlanta, the area where the new stadium is going is already very built up. How were they able to find such large parcels of empty land there? What is currently on those parcels? I have been to the Ted several times and thought it was a very nice stadium and I'm not sure what these hundreds of millions of dollars of renovations are, but shinier and newer seems to be the trend, especially if you can get someone else to pay for most of it.
The folks (non season ticket holders) who live in Cobb County and work in downtown Atlanta will suffer the most on weekday home games. It is already a nightmare for them to navigate the I-75/I-285 traffic to get home. Throw in the additional traffic of fans trying to get to the new Home of the Braves, and it will be an almost impossible commute.
It may end up being a positive for downtown bars/strip clubs/restaurants/hotels as many Cobb commuters may give up and spend the night downtown.