ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Alpharetta could be closer to luring a professional hockey team to the city and redeveloping a declining mall.
Mayor Jim Gilvin announced that the owner of North Point Mall, New York Life, has teamed up with a new local partner “to help shape its vision of transforming North Point Mall into an arena-centric, mixed-use destination.”
Gilvin said more details about the partnership will come in the next couple of weeks.
“There’s a lot of asphalt there that really isn’t utilized anymore,” he told Channel 2’s Bryan Mims about the mall site.
North Point opened in 1993. But it has struggled in recent years as fewer people shop at conventional malls, and several of its stores have closed.
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In 2024, former pro hockey player Anson Carter told city leaders he petitioned the National Hockey League to bring a franchise to Alpharetta. Last year, the city approved $150,000 to evaluate the market demand and whether a hockey arena would be financially viable.
Gilvin said the fan base is robust in the area.
“No doubt about it. Nobody on our council can go anywhere without getting questions about hockey,” he said. “A lot of hockey fans here.”
But Alpharetta does have competition. Another group, led by businessman Vernon Krause, is working to attract a hockey team to a site six miles north in Forsyth County. An 18,000-seat arena would be the centerpiece of a $3 billion mixed-use development.
It’s unknown whether the NHL favors one site over the other, and the league hasn’t said whether it plans to expand into a new market. Messages to the league were not returned Friday.
Sharon Goldmacher, a spokesperson for Krause’s group said “stuff is happening behind the scenes that I’m not privy to” and that she remains optimistic. Carter’s group did not answer messages seeking comment on the status of the Alpharetta bid.
Gilvin has said the city is working to make the North Point site “the best place in the state” to host a professional hockey team.
“It’s up to the private property owners – New York Life and whatever other partners they may have – to figure out how it actually becomes a reality,” he said.
If a team does come to the northern suburbs, it would be the first NHL team in metro Atlanta since the Thrashers left in 2011. Another team, the Flames, pulled out of the city in 1980.
Adam McTighe, who lives in Alpharetta and plays competitive hockey, said a pro team would thrive here.
“I think it would bring a booming economy,” he said. “There’s a lot of space here for it, there’s a lot of interest, obviously personal interest I can tell you that.”
Mark Bundy also lives in Alpharetta and is hopeful that pro hockey will make a big comeback in metro Atlanta.
“I did watch the Thrashers and I went to some games, and I enjoyed the games, so I’d like to see hockey come here,” he said.
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