A coalition of neighborhood associations is asking the city and Mayor Kasim Reed to let a planning study proceed before any negotiating any deals on the redevelopment of the Turner Field site.
The letter from the Turner Field Community Benefits Coalition will be hand-delivered by a delegation to Mayor Kasim Reed following a press conference on Tuesday, July 7. Similar letters will be delivered to Atlanta City Council Members, Fulton County Commissioners, and the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority Board. The press conference is set for 10 a.m. on the steps of city hall.
The letter will ask Reed to make a public commitment to completing the Turner Field Livable Centers Initiative Planning Study (LCI) process before negotiating any development deal. It requests that the mayor use the recommendations from this study to initiate a competitive bidding process for the massive redevelopment project.
“Our communities have suffered long enough as a result of top-down development” says Summerhill resident John A. Colabelli. “We don’t want a quick fix solution. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to restore the surrounding neighborhoods and reconnect downtown to the entire south side of Atlanta.”
The LCI Planning Study grant was awarded to the city in February and represents the largest LCI grant ever-awarded by the Atlanta Regional Commission. The study is due to be completed by July 31, 2016.
The Turner Field Community Benefits Coalition is a coalition of 42 neighborhood associations and advocacy groups representing thousands of residents in the communities surrounding Turner Field.
After the Atlanta Braves announced it would build a new baseball stadium in Cobb, Reed said he wanted to demolish Turner Filed and transform it into a mixed-used development site. Georgia State and development company Carter have proposed a mixed-use development of student apartments, single-family homes, senior housing, retailers and separate football and baseball stadiums for the site.
More information about the Coalition, including a list of members, can be found at turnerfieldcoalition.org.
