Less than seven months after the Atlanta Braves first revealed plans to relocate to Cobb County, officials there on May 27 approved the selection of a Brasfield & Gorrie-led joint venture as construction manager for the estimated $670-million ballpark project, scheduled for completion by the 2017 season.
Brasfield & Gorrie is the lead partner for the contractor group—known as American Builders 2017—that also includes Mortenson Construction, Barton Malow Co. and New South Construction. The Braves earlier named Populous as the ballpark’s designer.
According to Cobb County's schedule, American Builders could begin site work in August for the Atlanta Braves' ballpark project, previously estimated at $670 million.
Rob Taylor, a president with Brasfield & Gorrie who serves as the joint venture’s principal-in-charge, said in a statement: "We formed American Builders so we could draw on the resources, experience and expertise we have, both locally and nationally, and be able to deliver this project successfully for the Braves and Cobb County. We are confident in the ability to meet the schedule and look forward to the first pitch in the new ballpark in 2017."
American Builders won a quick selection by the Braves organization, which opened competing proposals on May 8 and began negotiations with the construction manager roughly a week later. The group beat out competitors that included Clark Construction Group, Holder Construction, Hunt Construction, Skanska USA and Turner Construction.
Braves Executive Vice President Mike Plant said in a public statement: “Our team has worked side-by-side with the staff in Cobb County to ensure that we have the right partner in place to deliver the world-class venue that we all expect to see here on opening day of 2017. American Builders 2017’s expertise in ballpark construction, ties to the local community and assurances of delivering the ballpark within budget gave us all the confidence to entrust them with this project.”
The Braves are planning to build a $400-million mixed-use development in conjunction with the $670-million ballpark project. According to Cobb County’s schedule for the ballpark, site work could begin in August.
