Neighborhood Residents Ask Mayor Reed to Complete Planning Study Before Selling Turner Field
ATLANTA, GA. - A letter from the Turner Field Community Benefits Coalition will be hand-delivered by a delegation of over 50 neighborhood residents to Mayor Kasim Reed following a press conference on Tuesday, July 7th. Similar letters will be delivered to Atlanta City Council Members, Fulton County Commissioners, and the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority Board. Media outlets are invited to hear directly from neighborhood residents on the steps of old City Hall on Tuesday, July 7th at 10:00am at 68 Mitchell Street SW, Atlanta, GA 30303.
The letter asks the Mayor to make a public commitment to completing the Turner Field Livable Centers Initiative Planning Study (LCI) process before negotiating any development deal. It requests that Mayor Reed use the recommendations from this study to initiate a competitive bidding process for the massive redevelopment project. “Our communities have suffered long enough as a result of top-down development.” says Summerhill resident John A. Colabelli. “We don’t want a quick fix solution. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to restore the surrounding neighborhoods and reconnect downtown to the entire south side of Atlanta.”
The LCI Planning Study grant was awarded to the City of Atlanta in February 2015 and represents the largest LCI grant ever-awarded by the Atlanta Regional Commission. The study is due to be completed by July 31, 2016. The Turner Field Community Benefits Coalition is a coalition of 42 neighborhood associations and advocacy groups representing thousands of residents in the communities surrounding Turner Field. The Coalition seeks community participation in decisions related to the redevelopment of the Turner Field Stadium area. More information about the Coalition, including a list of members, can be found at www.turnerfieldcoalition.org.