County Softens Rule that Restricts Peddling Around New Braves Ballpark: Report

MARIETTA, GA — The Cobb County Commission on Tuesday voted to soften an ordinance that will govern peddling around the new baseball stadium for the Atlanta Braves, according to a media report.

The new stadium, SunTrust Park, is scheduled to open next spring. The anti-peddling ordinance has drawn criticism because it will allow the baseball team to greatly restrict or even ban independent vendors from selling hats, T-shirts and other souvenirs around the stadium and The Battery, a mixed-use development being built next to SunTrust Park, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

The ordinance requires vendors to obtain a license from the county before they can sell items, and it mandated penalties for violators, including fines and jail time.

But on Tuesday, the Cobb Board of Commissioners voted to amend the ordinance, leaving penalties to be determined by the magistrate court,