The Atlanta Braves will leave Turner Field behind after the 2016 season.
Team officials announced Monday a plan to build a new stadium in a 60-acre mixed-use development in Cobb County before the start of the 2017 season. The new park will be located at the northwest intersection of 1-75 and 1-285.
The working title for the proposed live-work-play area is the Atlanta Braves Baseball Village.
"We believe the new stadium location is easy to access, while also giving our fans a first-rate game day experience in and around the ballpark and making it a 365-day-a-year destination," said team president John Schuerholz.
The estimated cost of the stadium and related infrastructure is around $672 million, with the Braves a signification investor along with Cobb County.
Braves officials say the new stadium will be open-air, seating 41,000-42,000 people, down from Turner Field's capacity of 50,096.
The move to leave downtown Atlanta comes on the heels of the NFL's Falcons finalizing plans to remain in the city with a $1.2 billion stadium with a retractable roof. It is also slated to open in 2017.
Originally built for the 1996 Olympics, the Braves began playing at Turner Field in 1997. The team's lease with the stadium, which is owned by the City of Atlanta and the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority, ends in 2016.
Turner Field, which hosted the 1999 World Series, the 2000 All-Star Game
and four National League Championship Series, is newer than 14 stadiums
in Major League Baseball, but there were pressing concerns about
routine improvements to the facility.
According to a release from the team, the stadium needs $150 million in renovations, including seat replacement, upgrades to lighting, etc. The Braves say improvements to the fan experience would incur additional costs in excess of $200 million.
In leaving Turner Field, the Braves will be abandoning a site that they've inhabited since moving from Milwaukee in 1966. Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, the team's home until 1996, was right across the street from Turner and one of parking lots used for current ballpark includes a monument on the spot where Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run.
Construction of the new park, which will be owned by the Cobb Marietta authority, is expected to begin in 2014 and be completed in time for the 2017 season. In addition to the stadium, the area will include retail, restaurants and hotels.
