Commission approves Georgia’s North Point Mall renovation
Over the past 45 years, Atlanta watched two NHL franchises depart.
In 1980, the Atlanta Flames left and set up shop in Calgary. The Atlanta Thrashers brought top-level hockey back to Georgia in 1999 for just a dozen years before True North Sports & Entertainment bought the franchise and remade it as the Winnipeg Jets.
Will world class hockey skate back into Georgia once again? Apparently so.
The Alpharetta Planning Commission has approved a plan put together by Alpharetta Sports & Entertainment (ASE) and New York Life — the owner of the North Point Mall in Alpharetta — to renovate the site whose new centerpiece will be the second largest hockey arena in the United States.
“I lived in Atlanta since 2009 and I have no doubt that the best league in the world will thrive in its return to metro Atlanta,” said NHL veteran Anson Carter in an ASE press release.
The release revealed that the architectural legend Frank Gehry had been retained to design the arena, which will also host high-level entertainment acts.
In collaboration with New York Life, the real estate investment firm Jamestown will oversee pre-development activities for the 100-acre property and seek entitlements that will position the site for NHL franchise expansion in the greater Atlanta market.
Also involved in the development of the project is Machete group, a real estate advisory and development firm that specializes in sports arenas, stadiums and surrounding mixed-use districts.
Machete is an international sport site developer that has worked in the U.S. with the NHL, NFL, NBA and MLS.
“Our city is at the geographic center of the fan base in metro Atlanta,” Alpharetta mayor Jim Gilvin told WANF TV news in Atlanta. “Easy access provided by Georgia Highway 400 and planned expansion of MARTA public transit in Alpharetta guarantees hockey fans an easy commute and a world-class experience.”
Alpharetta Sports & Entertainment does not have a lock on the NHL franchise, however.
Krause Sports & Entertainment chief Vernon Krause has also staged a bid to host an Atlanta NHL franchise. His proposed construction of The Gathering at South Forsyth, a mixed-use development in Forsyth County near the city of Alpharetta, will be anchored by an 18,000-sq.-ft. hockey arena.
