Cobb-Braves Financials Likely Later This Week

More details on Cobb County government's role in the Atlanta Braves' announced move to the Cumberland Mall area, including public financing options for a new stadium, could come later this week. 

Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott, who represents the Smyrna-Vinings area, told Patch Monday night that he can't divulge any details, but said that he "feels comfortable with the numbers" presented him by Cobb and Braves officials. 

He said those details are expected to be laid out later this week, possibly by Thursday. A memorandum of understanding between the Braves and Cobb officials is in the works; no formal agreement has been reached or signed.

The stadium would be run by the Cobb-Marietta Coliseum and Exhibit Hall Authority, which also operates the Cobb Galleria Centre and the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center in the Cumberland area.

The Braves announced Monday morning that they had struck a $627 million deal with Cobb to move from Turner Field and into a new stadium at Interstates 285 and 75 for the 2017 season. 

What Cobb officials also have not revealed is the level of public support from the county. Some published reports have that figure at $450 million, and it's a number that Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed cited in his public statement that the city couldn't afford to accommodate. 

Ott said while he understands that "there's so much hunger" for information about the proposed deal, there are "so many pieces to it" that are still being sorted out.

He wouldn't confirm an AJC report that the commission is slated to vote on the financing deal on Nov. 26, but said a referendum is not required. 

The news stunned not only baseball fans but civic and political leaders around the metro Atlanta area. 

The 60-acre proposed site -- currently owned by private parties -- is located on Windy Ridge Parkway between Cobb Parkway and the 75/285 interchange (see aerial map).

Cobb Commission Chairman Tim Lee said in a brief statement Monday that having the stadium here would create more than 3,400 jobs with $13.5 milion in annual payroll benefits. 

"Our focus is on finalizing an agreement that will bring jobs and economic growth to the area while enhancing the experience of sports fans from across metro Atlanta.

"Atlanta has evolved over the years into a broader community that offers so much for so many. Cobb County is proud to be a part of the region's continued success."

Ott said that he found out about the Braves negotiations only a week ago, and had his first meeting with the parties involved on Sunday. Lee and Brooks Mathis, the Cobb Chamber of Commerce's vice president of economic development, reportedly had kept the Braves interest in Cobb to themselves since July.

Maintaining secrecy in such talks "is the nature of the beast" when it comes to economic development, Ott said.

He said the project not only would be a boost for the Cumberland area, but also a "destination" for Braves fans and the nearby community. 

A vocal low-tax conservative, Ott said there is nothing in the details he's seen that would put him in a position to go against "everything I've done in my five years" on the commission.

Atlanta city officials also were surprised by the Cobb move, saying they were presented a proposal by the Braves in September. 

Word quickly began trickling out about the move in recent days as more people were notified, and Braves' president John Schuerholz made the announcement on a new team website shortly after The Marietta Daily Journal broke the story. 

Other Atlanta officials vowed to fight to keep the Braves, saying their move isn't a "done deal."

On the new site -- HomeoftheBraves.com -- the Braves posted a heat map (see attached PDF) indicating where the bulk of the team's fan base is located: in the northern Atlanta suburbs and exurbs, with Cobb on the western edge of that area.