The Gwinnett County Department of Planning and Development has issued a certificate of occupancy to the new Gwinnett Braves Stadium. The facility has met all applicable building and life safety codes, which means it is ready to be occupied by the Gwinnett Braves. Opening night for the stadium is April 17 when Gwinnett’s newest hometown team will play the Norfolk Tides.
Issuance of the certificate of occupancy reflects the end of a rather quick, but careful, journey in the construction of a state-of-the-art facility for the Gwinnett Braves. Successful completion of the process took the hard work and cooperation of many County departments, including the planning and development and the water resources departments, along with the general and sub-contractors on the site. Plan review teams spent countless hours poring over documents while numerous inspectors were at the job site on a daily basis to review the progress throughout the length of construction.
“I’m so very proud of the County employees who took on this project with professionalism and a desire to see this stadium completed on time,” said County Administrator Jock Connell. “What’s really impressive is that they not only met but exceeded many of our applicable building and life safety codes in what has been a difficult time in the construction industry due to the flagging economy.”
At a planning retreat in late 2006, Gwinnett District 2 Commissioner Bert Nasuti first proposed bringing minor league baseball to the county to spur economic development and improve quality of life options for area residents. In early 2008, Gwinnett County bought 12.3 acres of land for the project and commissioners approved construction funding using Gwinnett Development Authority bonds. The Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau managed the stadium’s design and construction.
The stadium recently won a Best in Atlanta Real Estate Award from the Atlanta Business Chronicle. The project topped others in the mixed-use/special-use category for its potential economic stimulus. Studies show that the stadium is likely to generate $15 million annually in new direct spending, create about 250 new jobs, add $6.5 million in new personal income and produce $1.3 million in gross tax revenues.
Issuance of the certificate of occupancy reflects the end of a rather quick, but careful, journey in the construction of a state-of-the-art facility for the Gwinnett Braves. Successful completion of the process took the hard work and cooperation of many County departments, including the planning and development and the water resources departments, along with the general and sub-contractors on the site. Plan review teams spent countless hours poring over documents while numerous inspectors were at the job site on a daily basis to review the progress throughout the length of construction.
“I’m so very proud of the County employees who took on this project with professionalism and a desire to see this stadium completed on time,” said County Administrator Jock Connell. “What’s really impressive is that they not only met but exceeded many of our applicable building and life safety codes in what has been a difficult time in the construction industry due to the flagging economy.”
At a planning retreat in late 2006, Gwinnett District 2 Commissioner Bert Nasuti first proposed bringing minor league baseball to the county to spur economic development and improve quality of life options for area residents. In early 2008, Gwinnett County bought 12.3 acres of land for the project and commissioners approved construction funding using Gwinnett Development Authority bonds. The Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau managed the stadium’s design and construction.
The stadium recently won a Best in Atlanta Real Estate Award from the Atlanta Business Chronicle. The project topped others in the mixed-use/special-use category for its potential economic stimulus. Studies show that the stadium is likely to generate $15 million annually in new direct spending, create about 250 new jobs, add $6.5 million in new personal income and produce $1.3 million in gross tax revenues.
Located near I-85 and the Mall of Georgia, the stadium is already attracting other investments such as a $200-million development that includes commercial and office space plus hotel and residential uses.
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