ATLANTA --- Gwinnett County is expected to vote today on a plan to build a new minor-league baseball stadium, which would clear the way for the Atlanta Braves to move their Triple-A team from Richmond, Va., to the booming Atlanta suburb.

The Braves would be Gwinnett's third professional sports franchise. The county northeast of Atlanta already has the Georgia Force arena football team and the Gwinnett Gladiators, who compete with the Augusta Lynx in the East Coast Hockey League.

The agenda for the Gwinnett Board of Commissioners included a vote on the purchase of a 12-acre site for $5 million. Commission Chairman Charles Bannister did not immediately respond to a telephone message left at his office.

The Braves said they would have no comment on the proposed move until after the county vote, which was expected to be a mere formality.

A person familiar with the talks, speaking on condition of anonymity because no official announcement had been made, said there already were plans for a news conference this afternoon at The Arena at Gwinnett Center.

The proposal calls for one lame-duck season in Richmond before the International League team is moved to suburban Atlanta in 2009.

The Braves have been in talks with Richmond officials about building a new stadium to replace The Diamond, a 12,134-seat facility that opened in 1985 and was considered economically inferior to newer Triple-A stadiums.

The contract to play at The Diamond runs through 2010, but there is an option to pull out if notice is given by Oct. 1.

In response to media inquiries, the city of Richmond released e-mails showing its chief financial officer, Harry Black, was still in talks with Mike Plant, the Braves' executive vice president, about a new stadium.

Linwood Norman, a spokesman for Richmond mayor L. Douglas Wilder, simply said, "We're waiting to hear."

Richmond has been home of the Braves' top minor-league affiliate since the team moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta in 1966.