Alpharetta leaders voted Monday to approve a plan to redevelop North Point Mall, including nearly 1,400 apartments, a move contingent upon its owners landing an NHL franchise.
The City Council voted 4-3 to rezone the nearly 99-acre mall into something comparable to The Battery Atlanta at Truist Park, the home of the Atlanta Braves. The plan by Jamestown includes tearing down most of the mall and building a large arena and entertainment district to support an NHL franchise if the league’s leadership awards the Atlanta area an expansion team.
Monday’s vote was a crucial hurdle for the development team to clear, priming the pump for one of metro Atlanta’s largest redevelopment efforts and providing hope to hockey-starved fans across the region. A display of foam hockey sticks and pucks emblazoned with “North Point” greeted supporters who packed Alpharetta City Hall.
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
“This project, without a doubt, is a game changer for the city,” said Councilmember Dan Merkel, who voted to rezone the mall.
But there is one large caveat to the entire project as envisioned — the city is requiring the NHL to commit to North Point before allowing the development team’s full plan to come to fruition.
“If the NHL does not award a team that can locate in the city of Alpharetta, this development does not happen,” said Julie Sellers, an attorney representing North Point’s development team.
Insurance giant New York Life owns North Point Mall and tapped Jamestown, the developer behind Ponce City Market and operator of Alpharetta’s Avalon, earlier this year to lead its redevelopment effort.
The developer’s reputation combined with the mall’s prime real estate off Ga. 400 and surrounded by affluent North Atlanta suburbs sparked optimism among some that it could entice a pro hockey team. Others raise doubts whether such a plan could succeed so far from Atlanta’s core, roughly 30 miles north of downtown, or if the timeline from here is realistic. If awarded a franchise, it would be metro Atlanta’s third attempt at top level hockey after the Flames and Thrashers failed to take hold.
“If the NHL commissioner calls up the mayor tomorrow and says, ‘Hey, we’re coming to Alpharetta,’ it still can take years before we see that happen,” Councilman Douglas DeRito said.
“This project is not ready for primetime,” he continued before his dissenting vote. “I think this proposal is an overreach being cloaked as progress.”
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
There are still many unknowns as the project progresses, but Monday’s vote clears the ice for Jamestown to begin pursuing its vision. And it starts a new countdown clock for a once-renowned mall that has its days numbered.
What does the redevelopment include?
The plan is to build one of Georgia’s largest entertainment districts, and it’s a scale of development unmatched in Alpharetta or most of Atlanta’s suburbs.
The mall is slated to be demolished aside from two of its big box stores, currently a Dillard’s and Von Maur. The Dillard’s and another department-style store will remain as retail anchors, according to the proposed site map.
The project centers on a 20,000-seat arena, which is comparable in size to downtown’s State Farm Arena. It also includes several hockey-focused amenities, namely a practice ice rink, two hotels and spaces for retailers and restaurants.
The other anchor to the development is apartments, potentially up to 1,385 of them spread across five buildings. Two of those apartment complexes could be 20 stories tall, while the rest are slated to be seven stories. Jamestown’s plan is for all of North Point’s residential units to be rentals, which caused some heartburn among Alpharetta leaders.
The site plan also includes 750,000 square feet of new offices, which comes at a time when no large blocks of new workspace is under construction across metro Atlanta. Jamestown leaders said a diverse offering of development types is vital to the project remaining vibrant at all days and times — not just when sports games and events are taking place.
“We want to get ahead and deliver a more complete experience on opening day when the puck drops,” Tim Perry, managing director and chief investment officer at Jamestown, told the AJC ahead of Monday’s vote. “That’s what is important … something that feels complete.”
Does this mean an NHL team is guaranteed?
No.
But it is a crucial step needed for Alpharetta to have any chance of getting a team.
NHL brass have said expansion is on the table beyond its current 32 franchises, providing hope to Atlanta, Austin, Houston, Phoenix and other cities that currently don’t have a team. The NHL is requiring a $2 billion expansion fee for new franchises, not including the costs of such things as building an arena and a roster.
An effort by Texas billionaire Dan Friedkin has reportedly made an impression on NHL leaders, giving Austin or Houston a leg up. NHL brass has shared doubts about the Atlanta area’s efforts, including a competing plan in Arizona.
If the NHL expands, it’s likely two teams are needed to keep the league’s roster an even number and to balance scheduling.
“(Friedkin’s group) is projecting the ability to start play in 2029-30,” NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly recently told The Athletic. “So we will have one down and potentially one to go. We have ongoing discussions both with people in the Phoenix marketplace, but also Atlanta, and then we’ll see what comes of those discussions.”
Is there a competing Atlanta area group?
Yes, a different development group a few miles north along Ga. 400.
A mixed-use project called The Gathering at South Forsyth received its zoning approval last summer, and its backers say they’re prepared to outpace the Alpharetta effort if they’re selected.
The Forsyth project has yet to start construction as its taxpayer-backed incentives are tied to landing an NHL franchise in advance.
Jamestown officials declined to comment to the AJC on ownership efforts or NHL lobbying ahead of Monday’s vote.
“We can’t award a team,” Perry told the council Monday. “ … But in order for that to happen, this very much (needs to) be a home for a potential expansion team.”
Are there any conditions for North Point?
Yes, and a lot of them — nearly 75.
The conditions run the gamut, encompassing limitations on what Jamestown can build, the design of the project’s buildings, transportation regulations and public safety incorporation. Kathi Cook, Alpharetta’s community development director, said many of them were “lessons learned” from the Battery.
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Jamestown agreed to all of the conditions ahead of Monday’s meeting, saying its project can work within those parameters.
Without a team in tow, Jamestown can’t get any certificates of occupancy for its apartments, hotels and offices at North Point, which is critical to a mixed-use project’s revenue structure and development timeline. Jamestown can start site work without an NHL team, but moving forward without one is risky and likely impractical, its leaders said.
Alpharetta set a five-year deadline — one that expires Aug. 24, 2031 — for the NHL to award North Point a team or revert the mall’s zoning.
The Gathering at South Forsyth is in a similar situation. Forsyth County leaders agreed to provide $225 million in taxpayer-backed bond financing to the area but only upon the NHL’s commitment.
Alpharetta last year agreed to create a tax allocation district — an area where property tax revenue growth is allocated to pay for infrastructure within its boundaries — aiming to incentivize infrastructure improvements in the North Point Mall area. Perry on Monday laid the seeds for additional incentive requests.
“This is not an impetus for raising taxes on residences,” he told the council members Monday. “Incentives that are given or granted here are fueled by the incremental taxes generated by this development itself.”
Jamestown added that the entire project will support 6,000 jobs when complete, including office workers along with arena and hotel staff.
What comes next?
For the next few months, probably not much.
Jamestown will continue to operate the mall, and New York Life officials have told the AJC that it’ll likely take a year or longer before any meaningful demolition or construction can take place.
The mall is unique in that it isn’t thriving compared to Atlanta’s most successful shopping centers, but it isn’t the image of a deal mall either. It maintains a long list of tenants, all but one of its big box stores and continues to attract about 3.3 million visitors each year, according to North Point’s general manager.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Monday’s vote, however, allows Jamestown to begin site preparation, utility work and preliminary construction across the mall site. The vote may also color how the mall operator approaches retailer contracts at the property and renovations to make way for the broader redevelopment vision.
“We have a big problem on our hands if we allow North Point Mall to continue to decline the way it is,” said Merkel, a councilmember and project supporter. “ … Getting ahead of this is going to help preserve other businesses that surround the mall area.”
The real work won’t begin until a decision is made by the NHL on whether the Alpharetta effort is worthy of a franchise. And for that, Alpharetta leaders have made their shot and are just waiting to see where the puck glides.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
