The University System of Georgia Board of Regents yesterday "approved unanimously" Georgia State spending $52.8M to buy Turner Field and its "plan to convert" the ballpark into a football stadium as part of a mixed-use development and campus expansion, according to Bloom & Trubey of the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION. Most of the money -- $26M -- would "go toward stadium renovations to remake Turner Field into a 22,000-seat stadium." That work, which would take place in two phases, "would include a new field, covering upper deck seating, reorienting lower bowl seating and upgrading locker rooms and other areas." GSU would also use $5M in student tuition money to "relocate its hospitality school into newly renovated space at the stadium." Another $22.8M would be used to "purchase the stadium and surrounding parking lots" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 11/10). Bloom & Trubey note new seating has "future plans for 10,000 additional seats," and GSU currently is "seeking naming rights partners" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 11/10). GSU has "moved aggressively to expand its main downtown campus, which is located about a mile north of Turner Field." This will be the "biggest addition yet, with the repurposed stadium also housing academic programs, administrative space and hospitality facilities" (AP, 11/9).
