(12-17-2013 02:25 PM)All Dukes_All Day Wrote:  ATL was cool but we were a little surprised that nothing was open downtown for brunch/drinks before the Falcons/Skins game. Seemed like it could be a huge money/revenue generator.

"Downtown" isn't where any living happens. They cater to corporate conventions/meetings etc. It's a very dry and culture-less place. You've gotta go into the neighborhoods to get to anything legit. When you were downtown you were probably 5 blocks, at most, from really legit dining and local life. Atlanta also does brunch better than any other place I've been, but not much in "downtown".

(12-17-2013 02:33 PM)RaiderATO Wrote:  

(12-17-2013 02:25 PM)All Dukes_All Day Wrote:  ATL was cool but we were a little surprised that nothing was open downtown for brunch/drinks before the Falcons/Skins game. Seemed like it could be a huge money/revenue generator.

"Downtown" isn't where any living happens. They cater to corporate conventions/meetings etc. It's a very dry and culture-less place. You've gotta go into the neighborhoods to get to anything legit. When you were downtown you were probably 5 blocks, at most, from really legit dining and local life. Atlanta also does brunch better than any other place I've been, but not much in "downtown".

Yeah, we really should've done our research before a little better beforehand. It was a pretty fun experience overall though.

This past Sunday's Atlanta Journal and Constitution laid out some of the reasons why the Braves moved to Cobb County. They include:

* The Braves wanting full control of Turner Field (Ballpark is currently run by Fulton County Rec Authority)

* Disappointed by the speed which a new Dome was approved (13 months) even though the Braves had been negotiating with the ATL Mayor's Office for 2 years.

* Lack of commitment for Atlanta regarding the redevelopment of the surrounding neighborhood, especially when compared to the commitments being made for the new Dome.

* Atlanta official's felt they could play chicken with the team, arrogantly stating 'where else are you going to go?'

Braves stadium bridge may keep fans cool during long walk to ballpark
3:49 p.m. Friday, May 15, 2015 | Filed in: Local News
By: Dan Klepal, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The walk over I-285 to the new Atlanta Braves stadium and mixed-use development will be long – about 3 ½ football fields – but the company designing the bridge says it could build in features to make it more of a walk in the park.

Ideas for “softening” the trek include misters, the kind often found in amusement parks to cool off overheated patrons, could be built along the path; a canopy could provide shade; and benches could provide a respite during the 1,100-foot long walk.

And kiosks could provide information about upcoming events, the designer wrote in its winning proposal.


Braves stadium bridge may keep fans cool during long walk to ballpark photo
Cobb County’s engineering consultant submitted a rendering of a single span bridge, with pedestrians and bicyclists on one side and commuter trams on the other, as an alternative to the county s plan to build a double deck bridge.

The bridge’s appearance is also of critical importance.

The design firm suggested concourse paving to reflect the stitching pattern of a baseball; light poles that resemble baseball bats; and Braves’ history printed into the paving.

The proposal also called the view of the bridge from I-285 “critical.” It suggests brick and concrete “to mimic the stadium atheistic.”

Cobb site vs. Turner Field: Contrasting the neighborhoods


from: AJC

The Atlanta Braves’ move to Cobb County following the 2016 season will cover 14 miles up I-75. The proposed new home has an Atlanta address, but there are significant differences between the neighborhood the team is leaving behind for its new environs.

Using data provided by Neighborhoodnexus.org and the Atlanta Regional Commission, the AJC has created these interactive charts to show some of those differences.

The neighborhood areas are defined by the Census tracts that envelope each site – a total of 4 for the Cobb site, and 5 for Turner Field. Most of the data reflected is from 2010 Census figures.

Explore the charts by hovering over them. (click on link to view site with charts and graphs.)

(05-17-2015 01:29 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  Cobb site vs. Turner Field: Contrasting the neighborhoods


from: AJC

The Atlanta Braves’ move to Cobb County following the 2016 season will cover 14 miles up I-75. The proposed new home has an Atlanta address, but there are significant differences between the neighborhood the team is leaving behind for its new environs.

Using data provided by Neighborhoodnexus.org and the Atlanta Regional Commission, the AJC has created these interactive charts to show some of those differences.

The neighborhood areas are defined by the Census tracts that envelope each site – a total of 4 for the Cobb site, and 5 for Turner Field. Most of the data reflected is from 2010 Census figures.

Explore the charts by hovering over them. (click on link to view site with charts and graphs.)

Not sure rolling out metrics that essentially state that the new location is preferable because it has more employed white people is the best way to sell this move.

(05-18-2015 10:43 AM)vandiver49 Wrote:  

(05-17-2015 01:29 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  Cobb site vs. Turner Field: Contrasting the neighborhoods


from: AJC

The Atlanta Braves’ move to Cobb County following the 2016 season will cover 14 miles up I-75. The proposed new home has an Atlanta address, but there are significant differences between the neighborhood the team is leaving behind for its new environs.

Using data provided by Neighborhoodnexus.org and the Atlanta Regional Commission, the AJC has created these interactive charts to show some of those differences.

The neighborhood areas are defined by the Census tracts that envelope each site – a total of 4 for the Cobb site, and 5 for Turner Field. Most of the data reflected is from 2010 Census figures.

Explore the charts by hovering over them. (click on link to view site with charts and graphs.)

Not sure rolling out metrics that essentially state that the new location is preferable because it has more employed white people is the best way to sell this move.

Hey, it's the AJC, not me. The local newspaper has if anything consistently been anti-white over much of the last few decades. These are the metrics they chose to report.

As I stated before, and as the stats kind of show, the idea that Cobb is all white is a fantasy. Especially around the area the new stadium is going, which has upscale office and shopping as well as suburban retail sprawl, that area has a ton of diversity and is probably majority minority of several kinds. The Braves moved as much because they were dared not to, and because they wanted to control and earn the income from the surrounding development they wanted to do instead of giving it all to the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority. I have to agree the AFRA has a pretty bad record when it comes to successful investments and use of funds that help the area they administer. Remember the $500,000 + $2.5 million boondoggle of "Fanplex" that was supposed to 'revitalize the neighborhoods around Turner Field?" Yeah, that happened--not:


from Wikipedia:

"Fanplex was an entertainment center in Atlanta, Georgia, adjacent to Turner Field. It opened in 2002 and was shut down in early 2004 after losing $500,000, above and beyond an initial investment of $2.5 million.

The attraction was meant to lure fans of the Atlanta Braves with miniature golf and video games, and to pump economic activity into the depressed area around the stadium. However, Fanplex saw little business, even on game days, perhaps since it was actually located far away from most game-day foot traffic. An initial staff of 16 was pared down to one and operating hours were scaled back as patrons continued not to show up.

Critics say Fanplex was largely built to justify the existence of the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority, which was originally created to manage Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium and The Omni Coliseum, both of which no longer exist, along with Zoo Atlanta.

An October 2, 2006 article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution says that the authority has put the facility up for sale twice, but cannot find a buyer at the $2.7 million price it has sought. The miniature golf course is now overgrown and nearby residents complain that the facility has become another vacant parking lot. With seemingly few commercial prospects for the current facility, Atlanta leaders quoted by the paper speculate Fanplex may ultimately be swept up in large-scale redevelopment of areas around the stadium.

Starting November 2013, the Fanplex was home to the "A" team of Archer Western Contractors who is currently constructing a 5 million gallon underground storage tank in the media lot across Hank Aaron Drive."

from the AJC archives:

"Buyers shun government white elephant
Author: D.L. BENNETT, Staff
Date: October 2, 2006
Publication: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The (GA) Page: B1


The building offers 11,000 square feet of bright colors and modern design, with exposed metal and wood details and a spacious, open floor plan.

It sits on a prominent street, just minutes from I-20 in bustling downtown Atlanta.

Still, nobody wants Fanplex.

The controversial former children's entertainment complex has been for sale for about three years -- about twice as long as it was open for business. Interest has been so limited that the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation..."


I trust the Braves staff and management to do a better job than the City of Atlanta leadership with making their new investment in Cobb a success. Traffic will be a nightmare, as it is already (I used to drive through that intersection every day just a few years ago, and it's bad now.)

My hope is that the Braves moving will finally be the straw that breaks the camel's back and gets MARTA approved in Cobb County (recent polling suggests Gwinnett County is more than 60% in favor of joining MARTA today, where numbers have never been over 45% in the past. The demographics are changing, despite what some ignorant leftover leaders think. Clayton County recently joined and everyone will be watching that addition closely. Mass transit and rail will eventually come to Cobb and Gwinnett counties and finally start moving things forward for the region after decades of gridlock caused primarily by greed and racism).

Fanplex is just one of millions of examples of bad government programs and cronyism among whoever is in power, whatever their particular background may be. Time and time again, the government is shown to be inept and crooked when trying on its own to do something people and companies are better left to do using capitalistic basic market forces and rational supply/demand and investment/return cost/reward analysis.

Nothing wrong with wanting to help people or areas in need. It's the how that is most often screwed up when it comes to government involvement. The Braves basically said "We've had enough of it," and got out to where they could use some business sense to do what they saw could be achieved. Now, hopefully, GA State University can come in and do something more productive by partnering with private, for-profit developers to actually help the area and people around Turner Field for the first time in over 50 years.

As boondoggles fail, market forces come to rule
Marvin Olasky | Jul 18, 2003


ATLANTA -- President Lyndon Johnson nearly four decades ago said that government programs would make the long-impoverished Summerhill neighborhood here a place of "spacious beauty and lively promise." Instead, it's become a place of boondoggles.

One of the latest is FanPlex, a state government-funded arcade/miniature golf course/fast food joint located at 768 Hank Aaron Dr., near the stadium where the Atlanta Braves play -- but pressure is growing on local politicians to give up on FanPlex within the next several weeks.

The entertainment center came into being last year as well-connected officials decided they could justify their salaries by saying they were giving poor "childrens" recreational opportunities. The children, though, have decided to do other things. On the Saturday afternoon I visited, with a Braves game three hours away, a total of four children were playing videogames; about 70 videogames were unused. The miniature golf course was deserted.

The Taco Bell a block away had a line at its counter and its tables filled, but the FanPlex staffer on duty had time for contemplation and no need to wipe down his unused outside tables. As the Atlanta Journal and Constitution commented, "Taxpayers would have been better off if the $2.5 million" spent on Fanplex "had been tossed into a bonfire. At least taxpayers could have kept warm for an hour. Instead, they're going to get burned for years."

That's nothing new. For years, government dollars have led to waste, and wasted lives. Lyndon Johnson's appointees boasted that "the most modern federal-state-city planning, housing, training and social welfare techniques" would "transform the slum core into a modern area." Tens of millions of governmental dollars flowed into the pockets of middle-class officials, contractors and social workers. Over 10,000 residents -- one-third of Summerhill's population -- left, as welfare dependency and crime increased, and those who could afford to move out did so.

Community political power has also created messes. Atlanta's Bob Lupton, president of FCS Urban Ministries, helped Summerhill's community development corporation harvest cash and commitment from foundations and corporations, but the project "absolutely crashed on the rocks" as immediate political and financial gratification came to outweigh the long-range vision. After his Christian group handed over land, houses and money to the Summerhill CDC, Lupton said, "we ended up with no capacity to deliver on our commitments. We were rightly motivated but very unwise."

Lupton noted that the Summerhill experience pushed his organization to develop a new rule when working in other neighborhoods: "Don't subordinate to community politics your ability to fulfill commitments. ... In subsequent neighborhoods, we've established a true partnership. When we make an agreement, we have the legal capacity to fulfill it. We'll be the land assemblage entity, we'll buy the land, we'll hold the land in accordance with the agreed-upon plan, it won't be reliant on subsequent political intrigue. The partnership has clearly defined roles."

Where politics failed, market forces have taken command. On some better Summerhill blocks, homes priced at $269,000 boast "new construction with downtown skylines views." On other blocks, older homes have been rehabbed, but with crime still a problem, many broken-down houses show huge bags of dog chow on sagging porches. Others, not so subtle, display large dogs tethered by long chains.

As affluent urban villagers move in and land values increase, some Summerhill residents may be priced out. Markets can be brutal; as Wilhelm Roepke wrote in "A Humane Economy," capitalism works best with a Christian sensibility. FCS Urban Ministries tried to bring that but failed in this instance; it's doing better elsewhere.

Yet one lesson is clear: Government initiatives have repeatedly failed, with politicians who use taxpayers' money for follies like FanPlex showing themselves to be not public servants but public exploiters."

Braves begin Cobb stadium season ticket sales


"The $672 million SunTrust Park will feature ultra-fast internet, four premium club areas, new food and beverage options, and better views of the action from more comfortable seating. That makes comparing ticket prices to Turner Field difficult, said Derek Schiller, the Braves’ executive vice president of sales and marketing.

'A lot of the seats we will be offering at SunTrust Park do not exist in any way, shape or form at Turner Field,' Schiller said during an opening tour of the sales center. 'It’s really important that we showcase the level of amenities, experiences and things that are included in seats (to fans).'

Turner Field features the third-cheapest price among Major League Baseball teams for non-premium season tickets at $19.14 per game, according to Team Marketing Report of Chicago, which uses data from all 30 MLB teams. The league average is about $29.

According to the Braves, about 19,000 seats will be priced under $20 per ticket; more than 7,000 seats will be less than $10 per game; and about 6,000 seats, starting at $40 apiece, will have “added value” of food, beverage and special access built in.

All of those prices are for season ticket sales. Single game prices will be announced later.

Some of the expected increase in average ticket prices is because of the larger number of premium seats, which will increase from about 400 at Turner Field to about 4,000 in the new stadium. SunTrust Park also will have fewer seats overall — about 41,000 compared to Turner Field’s 50,000."

Some person is eventually going to buy the Braves from Liberty Media and will want the team to move back downtown.

recent progress:

(06-22-2015 01:48 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  recent progress:

That walk from the Cobb Galleria/Cumberland Mall to SunTrust Field over I-75 is going to be lovely.

/sarcasm

Right-field wall could be game changer at Braves' new SunTrust Park
By Tim Tucker - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Posted: 2:11 p.m. Friday, May 13, 2016

For all the talk of off-field changes fans can expect when the Braves move next year to SunTrust Park, an on-field change will affect play and likely become a signature feature of the new stadium: the outfield wall.

“We decided to have some personality in the wall — how it’s designed, how it looks, how it plays,” said Braves vice chairman John Schuerholz, who had considerable input into the field design.

At Turner Field, the outfield wall is the same height all the way around — eight feet, four inches. At SunTrust Park, the wall height will vary — six feet in the left-field corner; eight feet, eight inches in left-center and center field; 16 feet from right-center to the right-field line.

The tall wall in right field is expected to have a noticeable impact on play, as well as on aesthetics. The lower 10 feet of the wall will be padding, but the top six feet will be brick. Home runs will have to clear the brick. Right fielders will have to play caroms off the brick.

“It’ll be interesting when the right fielder goes back for a ball and the ball is above the pad and he can’t quite catch it with his glove and it bounces off the brick,” Schuerholz said. “(Right fielders) are going to have to get used to making that play, so that’ll be neat.”


This is a rendering of the right-field wall at SunTrust Park with the “Chop House” behind it. The two portions of the wall shown in white will be vinyl-coated chain-link fencing through which fans in the “Below the Chop” area behind the wall can watch games at field level. (Rendering/Braves)

The right-field wall also will have two openings in the padded portion, each 40 feet wide by 8 1/2 feet high, that will allow fans in the lower level of SunTrust Park’s three-level “Chop House” restaurant to watch games at field level through vinyl-coated chain-link fencing. The Chop House’s 2,000-square-foot lower level will be dubbed “Below the Chop,” which the Braves envision as a gathering or party space for about 100 fans.

“One thing we have seen and learned from all of our tours of other ballparks … is that there is a lot of character built into the outfield walls,” Derek Schiller, the Braves’ president of business, said this week. “It can can be in the form of different wall heights and in not having uniformity in the curve of the wall.

“We wanted to have our own distinctive character to the outfield. I think one of the things that helps define a ballpark and a ballpark experience for fans is the outfield. … I expect all of right field to be a signature item (of SunTrust Park).”

Related
An inside look at Braves' SunTrust Park
New photos: Inside Braves' SunTrust Park
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Five things we learned about SunTrust Park

The height of the right-field wall, almost twice as high as at Turner Field, will be mitigated by a shorter distance from home plate. At The Ted, the right-center wall is 390 feet from the plate. At SunTrust, it will be 375 feet away.

Schuerholz expects the Braves’ Freddie Freeman and other left-handed power hitters to welcome the change in right-field power-alley distance, but “they may have to put a little more loft on the ball to get it out.”

Other SunTrust Park dimensions include 335 feet down the left-field line (same as Turner Field), 385 feet to left-center field (compared with 380 feet at Turner), 400 feet to straight-away center field (same as at Turner) and 325 feet down the right-field line (compared with 330 at Turner). SunTrust Park’s deepest points, just to the left and right of straight-away center, will be 402 feet.

As always is the case with a new stadium, players will be eager to learn whether the new place plays as a hitter’s park or a pitcher’s park.

Braves general manager John Coppolella posted on Twitter during spring training that it “will be similar to Turner Field, but slightly better for hitters.” Schuerholz, who recently moved from the position of team president to the advisory role of vice chairman, said it will be “fair” for hitters and pitchers.

“If a pitcher makes a mistake, a hitter ought to be able to hit a home run. If (a pitcher) makes a good pitch, he ought to be able to get an out,” Schuerholz said. “I think Turner Field is a very fair ballpark. I think this will play fair as well.”

The Braves and their architects reviewed wind studies from nearby Dobbins Air Reserve Base in making design decisions, but there’s always some mystery about how a new baseball stadium will play.

“We don’t know what impact the buildings in the (adjacent) mixed-use development will have on the flow of air into the ballpark,” Schuerholz said. “We’ll find out when we play in it.”

NOTABLE OUTFIELD WALLS

Boston Red Sox: The left-field wall in Fenway Park, famously known as the “Green Monster,” soars 37 feet high, MLB’s highest outfield wall. It’s a tantalizing target for right-handed hitters, only 310 feet from home plate down the line.

Chicago Cubs: The brick wall at Wrigley Field is famous for the ivy that covers it. The original vines were planted in 1937.

Houston Astros: In deep center field at Minute Maid Park, a 30-degree uphill slope — “Tal’s Hill,” named for former team president Tal Smith — extends to the wall, which is MLB’s deepest at 436 feet from the plate. There’s even a flag pole in play in front of the wall. (The Astros have plans to remove the incline and move the wall in.)

San Francisco Giants: AT&T Park has a 25-foot-high right-field wall, just 309 feet from the plate down the line, but the best thing about this wall is the picturesque San Francisco Bay beyond it. Viewing portals allow fans without tickets to watch games through the wall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ4hSKP3HX0

ATLANTA BRAVES FUTURE POTENTIAL

Reasons to feel good: There have been a string of strong performances from young starting pitchers recently (Matt Wisler, Julio Teheran, Williams Perez, Mike Foltynewicz, Aaron Blair). Freddie Freeman looks normal again, but he still lacks protection in the lineup. Mallex Smith has a ton of raw talent and speed (even if he’s a bit of a project). Ender Inciarte can impact a game on offense or defense, assuming he’s healthy, which has been an issue the past two seasons. The minor-league system: stocked, we think.

Reasons to wonder: A case can be made that the Braves have the greatest potential upside of the three pro Atlanta franchises, given their youth. But what does it say that the two executives (John Coppolella, John Hart) who feel so good about the future so badly miscalculated the team’s strength this season? There is a stack of lottery tickets in the minor league system that may or may not pay off. The Braves gave up assets for Hector Olivera, whose future (and freedom) are in doubt {bad trade IMHO}. They traded Gold Glove shortstop Andrelton Simmons, whose glove could’ve helped a young rotation and dreadful bullpen {good trade, IMHO; Simmons is not as valuable a player as the hype--see how he hasn't helped the Angels much.}. The Braves are the worst defensive and offensive team in baseball. Their payroll ranks 27th in a field of 30. Sunny front office soundbites notwithstanding, why are we to believe Liberty Media will significantly change directions in salaries when the team moves into a new stadium? If the losing continues, projected revenue streams won’t be nearly as great as anticipated. The absentee corporate owners appear far more focused on real estate values, the stock price and the bottom line than winning.