Cobb County’s transportation department is asking for permission to condemn small patches of some of the most expensive real estate — and air space — in the county so it can build the bridge over Interstate 285, from the county’s convention center to SunTrust Park and the Braves mixed-use development.
The bridge is being constructed in Cobb’s employment hub, and is considered a critical safety element for the new stadium because it will help keep pedestrians off busy Cobb Parkway. The bridge is being designed to carry pedestriaans and shuttle buses, although it will not be open to buses in 2017.
The estimated cost is $9.8 million.
Jim Wilgus, the county’s interim transportation director, told commissioners that negotiations for the right-of-way are proceeding with the property owners, but that his department wants permission to take the land through a court action in case those talks break down.
The county needs pieces of three parcels, which includes “air-rights” over Galleria Drive, a private road. In each case, the amount of property needed is measured in square feet, although is also asking for construction easements on one of the parcels.
One parcel is on the north side of I-285, adjacent to SunTrust Park. The other two are south of the interstate, near the Cobb Galleria.
“… In order to ensure project deadlines are met, the department is requesting condemnation approval … in the event negotiations are unsuccessful,” Wilgus wrote in an agenda item set to be voted on Tuesday night.
Wilgus told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Monday that the county would proceed with condemnation at the end of March, if negotiations are not successful.
Commissioner Bob Weatherford said the use of condemnation is common, and that it helps projects stay on schedule during negotiations over the price of land.
“We do it all the time for road projects, sewer and water lines, any number of things,” Weatherford said. “Usually you proceed with condemnation while you’re negotiating. That allows you to continue to use of the property while negotiations are going on.”
Commissioners Bob Ott and Lisa Cupid did not respond to messages seeking comment. The item is on the commission’s consent agenda, meaning it will be voted on with routine matters that are expected to receive unanimous support.
If the county and land owners can’t agree on a price, a third party could be asked to determine fair-market value for the land being taken.
The bridge has been an on-again, off-again proposition, with Commission Chairman Tim Lee recently announcing the county would try to have the bridge open for the first pitch of 2017 — the Braves inaugural season in SunTrust Park. That was just months after Lee said the bridge would not be open for that first season.
Since then, the commission and the Galleria Authority have both approved the bridge's design.
The bridge construction cost estimate does not include the $800,000 for engineering or the cost of purchasing land and air rights for construction. The Cumberland Community Improvement District, a collection of businesses in the stadium area, has agreed to pay $5 million of the construction costs.
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