The race to bring the NHL back to metro Atlanta

Two arena plans sit about six miles apart along GA 400: The Gathering in south Forsyth and a rebuilt North Point Mall in Alpharetta. A third group entered in September. None has a team, and the league has not opened a process for one.

Updated Sept. 25, 2026 · 19 events · 26 sources · How this page is kept

The bids

How far each has gotten

Timeline

1. 2023
2. April 17
   Forsyth

   Vernon Krause unveils The Gathering

   Krause proposes a mixed-use development on 100 acres at Ronald Reagan Boulevard and Union Hill Road, built around an arena that could host an NHL team if the league expands. (Atlanta News First, April 17, 2023)

3. 2024
4. Jan. 31
   Forsyth

   Forsyth commissioners agree to terms in principle

   The Board of Commissioners approves an Agreement in Principle with Krause Sports & Entertainment. The county's investment would begin only with the award of an NHL team. The January terms offered up to $390 million. (Forsyth County, Jan. 31, 2024; AJC, March 27, 2024)

5. March 12
   AlpharettaCarter group

   Anson Carter's group seeks a team for North Point

   Alpharetta Sports & Entertainment, led by former NHL player Anson Carter, says it is seeking an expansion team and proposes an arena at the North Point Mall site. (Awful Announcing, March 12, 2024)

6. March 26
   Forsyth

   Forsyth cuts its share to $225 million

   Commissioners approve a binding memorandum, 4-1, capping the county's investment at $225 million, paid only if the NHL awards a team and repaid from a tax district limited to the site. The county would own the arena. Krause objects to the new terms, saying the county "cannot keep moving the goal line." (Forsyth County, March 26, 2024; AJC, March 27, 2024)

7. Nov. 5
   Forsyth

   Forsyth voters approve the tax district

   Voters grant the county redevelopment powers, 56% to 44%, allowing a tax allocation district on the 100.3-acre site. Taxes from inside the district, not countywide, would repay the arena bonds. (WSB Radio, Nov. 8, 2024; Forsyth County, Oct. 9, 2024)

8. 2025
9. June 11
   Forsyth

   Forsyth finalizes the arena agreements

   At a joint meeting, the Board of Commissioners, the Board of Education and the Development Authority approve the definitive agreements: the arena development and operating agreement, the tax district and payment-in-lieu-of-taxes arrangements. The county's plan lists an 18,500-seat arena. (Forsyth County, June 11, 2025; Forsyth County presentation, June 11, 2025)

10. Nov. 17
    Alpharetta

    Alpharetta creates a tax district around North Point

    The City Council unanimously approves Tax Allocation District #3, covering 646 acres around the mall. The city estimates it could fund $225 million to $280 million in public improvements over 30 years, depending on whether Fulton County and its school district take part. (City of Alpharetta, Nov. 17, 2025)

11. 2026
12. Feb. 17
    Forsyth

    Krause says a team could cost $2 billion

    Krause tells FOX 5 his group is planning on a $2 billion expansion fee. That figure is his assumption; the NHL has not announced a fee for an Atlanta team. (FOX 5 Atlanta, Feb. 17, 2026)

13. Feb. 26
    Alpharetta

    Jamestown takes on the North Point plan

    Jamestown announces an arena-centered redevelopment of the mall with landowner New York Life and Machete Group, aimed at attracting an NHL team. (Jamestown, Feb. 26, 2026)

14. June 23
    NHL

    The NHL opens a Texas expansion review

    The league opens a six-month process to evaluate a team in Houston or Austin, owned by the Friedkin family. Bettman says the move "doesn't rule in or rule out Atlanta." (NHL.com, June 23, 2026)

15. June 25
    Forsyth

    The Gathering gets a land-disturbance permit

    The county issues the permit that lets site work begin. The county's $225 million in bond financing still depends on a team. (WSB-TV, June 25, 2026)

16. July 8
    Alpharetta

    Alpharetta explains the tax district at a town hall

    City officials say the district could raise more than $950 million over 30 years if Fulton County and its schools join, or about $153 million from city taxes alone. (Appen Media, July 12, 2026)

17. Aug. 6
    Alpharetta

    Alpharetta's Planning Commission backs the rezoning

    The commission approves the plan and sends it to the City Council. (Atlanta News First, Aug. 13, 2026)

18. Aug. 24
    Alpharetta

    Alpharetta approves the North Point rezoning, 4-3

    After more than six hours of debate, the council votes after 1 a.m., with Mayor Jim Gilvin casting the deciding vote. The plan carries more than 70 staff conditions, and an NHL team must commit to Alpharetta by August 2031 for the full project to go forward. (CBS News Atlanta, Aug. 25, 2026; FOX 5 Atlanta, Aug. 25, 2026; Atlanta News First, Aug. 24, 2026)

19. Sept. 1
    Alpharetta

    Alpharetta's arena study, and its skeptics

    A study the city paid CAA Icon $150,000 for in 2025 projects nearly 1.2 million visitors a year and about 1,250 jobs supported by the arena. It looked at the arena alone, not the wider district. Emory economist Tom Smith says such projections depend heavily on their assumptions. Measured by a 30-minute drive rather than a 25-mile radius, the site's population ranks 24th among NHL markets instead of 13th. (AJC, Sept. 1, 2026)

20. Sept. 4
    ForsythNHL

    A financing claim, and the NHL's answer

    A neighborhood email says The Gathering's financing is secured and a final package went to the NHL. Krause calls that information "premature and incomplete" and says his group is not in the application phase. The NHL's Bill Daly says Atlanta is "not even remotely close to an application phase." (FOX 5 Atlanta, Sept. 4, 2026)

21. Sept. 7
    Forsyth

    Grading reported under way at The Gathering

    Site preparation on more than 90 acres near Ronald Reagan Boulevard is expected to take about five months, with vertical construction planned for summer 2027, according to the developer's schedule. It is not a sign the NHL has decided anything. (North Atlanta Star, Sept. 7, 2026)

22. Sept. 9
    Carter groupNHL

    The NHL confirms a third Atlanta group

    Daly tells ESPN the league is talking to three Atlanta groups. Anson Carter has broken with the Alpharetta effort and is looking for a site north of Atlanta he believes will beat both local plans. (ESPN, Sept. 9, 2026)

23. Sept. 22
    NHL

    NHL owners discuss Texas, decide nothing

    The Board of Governors is briefed on Texas expansion without a vote. Bettman expects to know by the end of the year which Texas market the Friedkin group prefers, and says the league is "not under any time constraint." The league reports strong interest from Atlanta and Arizona. (Associated Press, Sept. 22, 2026; NHL.com, Sept. 23, 2026)

What to watch

• December 2026. The NHL's next formal expansion update to its Board of Governors. The league expects to know by then which Texas market it prefers; an Atlanta process would come separately. (NHL.com, Sept. 23, 2026; Associated Press, Sept. 22, 2026; NHL.com, June 23, 2026)
• Early 2027. Grading at The Gathering is scheduled to take about five months from early September. (North Atlanta Star, Sept. 7, 2026)
• Summer 2027. The developer plans to begin vertical construction at The Gathering. (North Atlanta Star, Sept. 7, 2026)
• August 2031. Alpharetta's deadline for an NHL commitment to North Point. Without one, the rezoning reverts. (Atlanta News First, Aug. 24, 2026; AJC, Sept. 1, 2026)

Where reports disagree

• Seats at The Gathering. Reports have said 18,000, 18,500 and 18,700. This page uses 18,500, the figure in the county's June 2025 presentation. (WSB-TV, June 25, 2026; Forsyth County presentation, June 11, 2025; WSB Radio, Nov. 8, 2024)
• Size of The Gathering. The county described 80 acres in January 2024 and 100 acres later. The tax district covers 100.3 acres, and FOX 5 has reported 102. This page uses about 100. (Forsyth County, Jan. 31, 2024; Forsyth County, June 11, 2025; Forsyth County, Oct. 9, 2024; FOX 5 Atlanta, Feb. 17, 2026)
• Size of the North Point site. Reported as nearly 99 acres and as about 100. This page uses nearly 99. (CBS News Atlanta, Aug. 25, 2026; Jamestown, Feb. 26, 2026)

How this page is kept

This page is updated as events happen, and each change is listed below. Every fact links to the public record or news report it came from. Where reports differ, the page says so rather than choosing silently.

Forsyth Daily covers Forsyth County, and this page tries to report every bid on the same terms. It was compiled with an AI assistant from the sources listed, and read and approved by the editor before publication.

• Sept. 25, 2026. Added Alpharetta's arena feasibility study (Sept. 1), the NHL's December update date, and that North Point's rezoning reverts without a team by August 2031.
• Sept. 24, 2026. First version.