As we continue on our tour of Cobb County, there’s no better subject for our April edition than Truist Park, home to the Atlanta Braves since 2017. Spring training is well underway, and Braves’ fans can get their baseball fix during regular-season games, which kick off with the home opener against the Phillies on April 9.
The Braves previously played for 19 years in the heart of downtown Atlanta at Turner Field, some 10 miles from the current Truist Park location. Turner Field had been modified from its original use as an Olympic stadium for the ‘96 summer Olympics, and increasing concerns about future maintenance costs prompted officials to consider a move and starting with a new build.
When the Braves’ announced Cobb County as the favored location for the new stadium, fans and county residents reacted strongly, both for and against the move. While many were excited to have their hometeam nearby, there were concerns about building costs and how much of the bill Cobb County residents would be expected to pay.
The Braves developed the project in partnership with Cobb County’s own Cobb-Marietta Coliseum and Exhibit Hall Authority, which issued $397 million in bonds for the project. In addition to that, the county contributed $14 million from transportation taxes to the project, and businesses in the Cumberland Community Improvement District contributed $10 million. That’s a total of $421 million, and if that seems like a lot, bear in mind that the total cost of the project totaled over $1.1 billion.
But the billion-dollar Truist Park project — originally dubbed SunTrust Park but renamed last year — isn’t just a state-of-the-art ballfield. It also includes Battery Park Atlanta, an area of restaurants, bars, and shops that surrounds the park. According to the MLB’s website, this was “the first time a team had ever accomplished such a feat.” Officials hope that increased tax revenue from this endeavor will be a boom for Cobb County.
Of course, for fans, the real gem is the open-air stadium itself, which seats 41,084 and is said to provide one of the best fan experiences of any stadium out there.
“Due to the unique cantilever design, a higher percentage of seats are closer to the field than any other ballpark in the major leagues, and no seats have an obstructed view,” according to the MLB’s website.
If you want to see for yourself, visit MLB.com/braves for information on this year’s season and ticketing.
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