In the On-Deck Circle: Atlanta's Next Neighborhood

For more than a decade, the "dreary swath of parking lots north of Turner Field" has inspired dreams of redevelopment, but so far to no avail. Now, in response to a request for ideas sent out by Invest Atlanta, the city's economic development arm, hopes are rising again that the 55 acre site could become a mixed-use sports and entertainment district with year-round activity.

This week the visions of four developer teams were relased by the development authority. "At the request of Invest Atlanta — which has a mission to fuel economic progress, help startup businesses, issue bonds for development and cultivate homeownership — each of the Turner Field proposals contains expansion of the downtown streetcar or other transit links, parking decks with at least 10,000 spaces, and a design theme to honor Hank Aaron’s home run record and the history of the Braves," notes Trubey.

While the ambitious concepts have been proposed by teams with strong track records in completing mixed use developments, Trubey cautions that "[t]he area has seen its chances at redevelopment rise and fall for decades with little to show for it. And the latest request for ideas is simply a starting point — developers’ dreams and proposals for how funding might happen that could one day shape a master plan or formal proposal process."