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NHL arena plans at North Point Mall moving forward
Alpharetta City Council voted 4-3 to approve zoning changes for a massive redevelopment of North Point Mall. The proposal includes a 20,000-seat arena that developers hope could eventually attract an NHL franchise.
ALPHARETTA, Ga. - A massive redevelopment of North Point Mall that could include an NHL-sized arena is one step closer to reality after a marathon Alpharetta City Council meeting stretched into early Tuesday morning.
EARLIER STORY: Alpharetta hockey arena proposal draws crowd to meeting
What we know:
Council members voted 4-3 to approve zoning changes for the roughly 100-acre property following more than six hours of debate and public comment.
The proposed mixed-use development would include a 20,000-seat arena, music venue, shops, restaurants and more than 1,300 apartments. Developers hope the arena could eventually become home to an NHL franchise, although the league has made no commitment to bring a team to Alpharetta or the Atlanta area.
PREVIOUS STORY: North Point Mall one step closer to becoming sports complex
Mayor casts deciding vote
What they're saying:
Alpharetta Mayor Jim Gilvin cast the deciding vote after expressing a desire to make sure the project would actually move forward if approved.
"If, by God, when we walk out of here, I want to be confident that what we've agreed and what we've approved is going to happen. It's not a dream," Gilvin said.
The proposal drew a large crowd, with more than 100 people packing the council chambers. Residents and other speakers were divided over whether a development of this scale would benefit Alpharetta.
The other side:
One opponent said they supported redeveloping the struggling mall property but believed the current proposal was too dense and lacked sufficient parking.
"I'm not against redevelopment of the mall. I just think this project is too dense and I don't see any parking. I just wish it was scaled down a bit," the speaker said.
Supporters argued the project could bring investment, families and national attention to Alpharetta.
NHL arena far from guaranteed
What we know:
Despite the vote, several significant hurdles remain before an arena could be built — and there is no guarantee an NHL team would ever play there.
The Alpharetta proposal also faces competition from another major development planned about seven miles away in Forsyth County. That project calls for its own mixed-use district anchored by an arena with more than 18,000 seats, also with hopes of attracting an NHL franchise.
Neither project has secured an NHL team.
The Alpharetta vote allows the North Point Mall redevelopment proposal to continue moving forward, setting up what could become a competition between two north metro Atlanta developments hoping to bring major-league hockey back to Georgia.