Parking: Examining the businesses in and around SunTrust Park, their right to ownership of the parking lots that surround them. Are there legal grounds for the Braves to claim that property as their own? What is the monetary value lost by these businesses by not licensing these spots instead of the Braves selling them? What did they do to try to stop this? How will this affect future business, especially with a new complex coming in?
Traffic: All along, this has been the biggest issue, and one of the biggest gripes people have with the move. How comprehensive were the studies about potential traffic problems? Was it overlooked in lieu of simply migrating to the place where the highest customer base is? Is there a way to simulate what a typical game day traffic pattern would look like?
Economic gain: Beyond the figures given by the team, is this truly the best fiscally responsible move for the team and the county? Are the economic gains great enough to overcome any loss? What are the long term projections 10-15 years down the line? How do they compare to when the Braves opened Turner Field (admittedly in a location not far from the old one).
Player reaction: We really haven’t heard too much from players on the move on a mass level, whether that’s because they’ve been advised not to or don’t want to get into it. You’d think that the move is closer to where most of them likely reside, and for some of the hometown people where they lived growing up. This is an interesting angle that probably will be more formed as the offseason approaches in the next few months.
Comparison: How does what the Braves did and are doing compare to recent stadium deals and dealings with local government? This isn’t just a local issue. What models did the franchise use if any in developing their plans for a new stadium?
Extra: Mixed use: The Braves’ new stadium is going to start what will likely be a new wave of stadium complexes, where the stadium is the centerpiece of a mixed-use development space with apartments and trendy shops and restaurants. It is a beautification of sorts. With this in mind, will it affect attendance at all, where the area is a place to go eat and shop that happens to have baseball? Or will it attract more fans? Are these people baseball fans who would go either way, or people who are attracted to the other things available that go to the game to see both the team and the developments around it?
Check out what the AJC and the MDJ have written about the economic development and community impact sides of the story. These are good possibilities; it’s just going to come down to what information you can get and where you can get interviews.