ALPHARETTA, Ga. — The mayor of Alpharetta says his city is working to make the North Point Mall property the “best place in the state” to host a professional hockey team.
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However, when asked Wednesday whether he’s traveled to New York to meet with National Hockey League officials, Jim Gilvin said he couldn’t comment on any private meetings involved in efforts to lure a hockey team.
Officials did say the city has hired a sports consulting firm, CAA ICON, to “learn more about what that type of development might entail,” said city administrator Christ Lagerbloom in an email.
North Point Mall, which opened in 1993, has struggled in recent years to compete with newer shopping destinations like nearby Avalon. Indoor malls with vast parking lots were the design of the day three decades ago, but times and tastes have changed.
“For the last decade, we have been making that North Point corridor more attractive, more consistent with what people are looking for now,” he said.
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In March 2024, former NHL player Anson Carter announced that his development team, the Alpharetta Sports and Entertainment Group, is eyeing the North Point property to land a professional hockey franchise. Channel 2 Action News has reached out to Carter multiple times for comment, but he has not responded.
In 2023, Channel 2 Action News broke the story that developer Vernon Krause plans to build a hockey arena about five miles north in Forsyth County. That project is called The Gathering and would feature an 18,000-seat arena surrounded by restaurants, shops, a hotel, and homes.
The NHL has not announced whether it has expansion plans. Gilvin said he has no indication when the league could make a decision, but he doesn’t expect news until after the playoffs.
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Shoppers at North Point said the mall is outdated and needs a large-scale development, like a sports venue, to make the site a regional destination.
“It’s just not as popular anymore,” said 20-year-old Piper Davis, who’s been coming to this mall all her life. “You don’t see as many young kids, middle schoolers, high schoolers, coming here as much. The shops kind of come and go all the time.”
Zoia Fleisher has worked in the mall for two years and said it’s hard for a 1990s-era mall to stay viable now.
“The lifestyle has changed,” she said. “People need more than just shopping.”
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