Georgia State Univ., Oakwood Development and Atlanta-based private developer Carter on Tuesday unveiled details and "design concepts of what they hope to build on the 68-acre site" around Turner Field, according to Scott Trubey of the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION. The partners also "unveiled more details about what they plan to build and when" now that the Braves are moving into SunTrust Park. GSU, whose football team has "spent its first few seasons at the Georgia Dome, plans to play" at Turner Field this fall. The first phase of renovations is "expected to start next month." A "broader overhaul of Turner Field is expected" prior to the '18 football season. GSU’s athletic offices and the school’s hospitality program also will be "based at the stadium." GSU President Mark Becker said that a new baseball field, which "will include aspects honoring the legacy" of the Braves and Baseball HOFer Hank Aaron, will be "built after Turner Field is finished." Backers of the project said that GSU athletics will be "one focus of the project, but so will residential and commercial development." The aim is to "bring back life" to some of Atlanta’s oldest neighborhoods. Carter President Scott Taylor said that his firm "wants to have retail and restaurant tenants in the Georgia Avenue buildings starting this fall" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 1/11).
