Atlanta Takes Another Step Toward NHL Expansion

There’s significant discussion in the NHL about expanding to include 33rd and 34th teams. One potential location for these new franchises is either Austin or Houston. Atlanta is also a leading candidate for a new team, and a major development milestone was reached there this week.

In Alpharetta, a suburb of Atlanta, the City Council voted 4-3 in favor of redeveloping North Point Mall into a mixed-use entertainment district featuring a large arena suitable for an NHL team. Efforts to create this district, including a 20,000-seat arena, received approval from the City Council. This proposal is spearheaded by Jamestown, a real estate and placemaking firm, and New York Life, the site owner, in collaboration with Machete Group, a real estate developer specializing in such projects.

Tim Perry, Chief Investment Officer at Jamestown, expressed excitement about this development. He stated, “We are thrilled to have achieved this significant milestone and grateful to the City of Alpharetta, its elected officials, staff, and the community for their thorough review and support of our vision for North Point’s future.” He added that the approval underscores the City’s confidence in the project’s transformative potential and Jamestown’s capability to realize the vision.

Besides the arena, the development plan includes various amenities. It will feature a music venue, convention space, and public hockey rink with 2,000 seats. The arena itself is intended to be the second-largest in the league, after Montreal’s Bell Centre. Also planned are a 4,000-seat music hall and performing arts center, a 2,000-seat community hockey rink, a 1,100-seat movie theater, a 35,000-square-foot hotel conference center, and multiple hotel rooms across two buildings.

This initiative is one of two in the Atlanta area vying for an NHL venue. Another proposal is situated in Forsyth County, approximately seven miles away, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta. Atlanta’s history with the NHL includes hosting the Atlanta Flames from 1972 to 1980, which relocated to Calgary, and the Atlanta Thrashers from 1999 to 2011, which moved to Winnipeg and became the present-day Jets.

Currently, in Atlanta, the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators represent professional hockey. They are affiliated with the Nashville Predators and play in Duluth, Georgia.