Cobb County, Ga., business owners angered at Braves stadium parking plan
ATLANTA — Fred Beloin and his partners bought the office building on Heritage Court in 2003, long before the Atlanta Braves announced their intention to move in next door with a new stadium and sprawling mixed-use development.
Beloin said they had planned substantial investment in the property because of SunTrust Park’s opening next year — they’d need fencing, walls, and some combination of security gates and guards for the parking lot. The attorney had hoped to earn back a portion of that money by charging fans for use of their 100-space parking lot on some game days.
But Cobb County shut down that idea, when commissioners in February quietly passed an ordinance that outlaws property owners within a half-mile of the stadium from charging for parking during games and other special events at the stadium. SunTrust Park is partially funded with $400 million from Cobb taxpayers.
“This irks the [heck] out of me,” said Beloin, who has previously tangled with the county over zoning around the stadium, and was unaware of the ordinance until told about it by an Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter. “They say they’re increasing my property value and then they do everything in their power to make sure I get no benefit out of it.”
The ordinance closes off potential revenue for dozens of businesses that own more than 10,000 private spaces — many of which could compete with the team for parking revenue.
County officials say the law is necessary for public safety, and note that property owners ineligible for a license because of their proximity to the stadium can file an appeal to the county commission. But critics see it as a heavy-handed attempt to protect Braves parking revenue, and help the team as it negotiates leases with nearby lot owners for supplemental parking.
The Braves collected $4.6 million in parking revenue last year at Turner Field, according to documents the team provided to the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority.
For thousands of fans, the restriction could mean fewer parking options on game days, making it less convenient or more expensive to go to a stadium with no direct MARTA access. The full impact isn’t known because the Braves haven’t yet released their own parking plan.
“Why would the Cobb Commission not want fans to be able to park this close to the stadium?” Beloin said.
The ordinance was requested by the Braves and passed without public debate just three months before stiff primary election challenges to Commission Chairman Tim Lee and Commissioner Bob Ott, whose district includes SunTrust Park. Lee and Ott were co-sponsors of the ordinance.
Lee faces a July 26 runoff election against retired Marine Col. Mike Boyce, who made the chairman’s handling of the stadium deal the centerpiece of his campaign. Ott easily won re-election.
Mike Plant, the Braves’ president of development, said the team asked for the ordinance so private lots meet “benchmarks for safety.” He said the team never requested a total ban on licenses within a half-mile of the stadium.
“We know that when fans come to a Braves game, no matter where they park, they associate their experience with the Braves,” Plant said. “Our concerns focused mainly on two areas — safety of the fans and the free flow of vehicles through the areas around the ballpark.
“With that in mind, we requested that the county create an ordinance
“THEY SAY THEY’RE INCREASING MY PROPERTY VALUE AND THEN THEY DO EVERYTHING IN THEIR POWER TO MAKE SURE I GET NO BENEFIT OUT OF IT.” – FRED BELOIN, COBB COUNTY ATTORNEY AND BUSINESS OWNER
covering an area around the ballpark to protect fans who are attending the game and ensure that they receive the same safety, security and convenience provided in the lots we control.”
Land around Turner Field has a similar restriction, but that area is dominated by houses, apartments, churches and industrial uses. Only 2 percent of property within Turner Field’s restricted parking area is zoned commercial, as opposed to well over 90 percent of the land surrounding SunTrust Park, according to an analysis of zoning information.
The “Accessory Special Event Parking” ordinance was passed in a group of about 50 others, as part of the commission’s annual practice of updating county codes. There were three public hearings on the entire batch, but no public discussion of the parking ordinance beyond the title being read into the record three times.
Ordinances dealing with the height of weeds in yards, the number of allowable cars in driveways, and backyard chickens each received more debate.
County officials said the public notices and hearings gave interested citizens and businesses ample opportunity to learn about the ordinance and express an opinion. But it nonetheless escaped the attention of every business interest contacted by the AJC, including the head of the Cumberland Community Improvement District, which represents about 500 companies.
Tad Leithead, the CID chairman, said he was unaware of the ordinance until the AJC contacted him. And the Cumberland CID is a stadium development partner — it agreed to have property taxes raised on businesses within the district to help pay the public debt, and is contributing $15 million cash for associated infrastructure.
“Everything that is within a half-mile of the stadium is also in the CID, which makes it even more mystifying that I haven’t heard a word about it,” Leithead said.
“OUR CONCERNS FOCUSED MAINLY ON TWO AREAS — SAFETY OF THE FANS AND THE FREE FLOW OF VEHICLES THROUGH THE AREAS AROUND THE BALLPARK.” – MIKE PLANT, BRAVES PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT