The Braves yesterday gave the media a tour of SunTrust Park, and the ballpark "looks just about ready," according to a front-page piece by Tim Tucker of the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION. The field was a "photogenic expanse of green," with 41,000 green seats, a change from Turner Field’s blue. Even the 28-foot-tall climbing tower in the kids play area "looked ready for action." But Tucker notes there is "still much work to be done" before the Braves open the venue March 31 in an exhibition against the Yankees. The suites and club spaces "must be outfitted with furniture, fixtures and equipment." Some of the technology systems, including WiFi, are "still being installed." And a "punch list of minor fixes, which numbered almost 30,000 items at one point, continues to be worked through." Braves President of Development Mike Plant said when fans come to the ballpark for the first time, they are "not going to see dumpsters and (construction) vehicles." Plant: "This was very important to us -- to make sure this didn’t look like a construction zone." Plant said that the last crane visible from inside the ballpark "will be gone" before the Braves’ regular-season home opener against the Padres on April 14. Tucker notes SunTrust Park is "more compact than predecessor Turner Field." That is due to having about 9,000 "fewer seats and to a design that places the seats closer to the field." Meanwhile, "heavy work" continues on the adjacent mixed-use development, The Battery. Plant said that close to 70% of The Battery’s approximately 350,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space "has been leased" (
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 3/9).
PAVED PARADISE: In Atlanta, Ben Brasch notes the 9,000 fewer seats at SunTrust Park should "alleviate feared traffic nightmares." And the new ballpark will have "nearly double the number of parking spaces." There will be 18 parking lots, three of which are "just for day games." The "farthest are 1.15 miles away, but those three will be serviced by a free shuttle." Plant said that there "will be 14,000 parking spots in all compared to about 8,700 spots" at Turner Field. There are "14 access points into SunTrust Park compared to the few Turner had" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 3/9).
