Forsyth County commissioners approved the final agreements Wednesday night for a development that would include an arena and aim to attract a National Hockey League franchise.
The approvals were given at a special called meeting for a definitive agreement document, a resolution creating a dedicated tax allocation district and an arena development and operating agreement for The Gathering at South Forsyth.
The project, which was first unveiled publicly in spring of 2023, is being proposed by Krause Sports and Entertainment, led by southeastern automotive magnate Vernon Krause. The group hopes to build an 18,500-seat arena, along with apartments, office and retail space and hotels on the 100-acre property at the corner of Union Hill Road and Ronald Reagan Boulevard near Alpharetta.
County officials have said that successfully attracting an NHL franchise is a stipulation of the project being built. There is currently no timeline for when the NHL may make a decision on granting Atlanta a team for the first time since the Atlanta Thrashers left for Winnipeg in 2011.
Documents shown by county officials Wednesday show that the current plan is for Forsyth County to contribute a $225 million bond to help pay for the arena's construction. That money, according to officials, is planned to be made up by revenue generated in the project's dedicated TAD.
The arena would be built in the first phase of the development, along with 600 multi-family apartment units, hundreds of thousands of square feet of office and retail space, one hotel, two parking decks and new stations for both the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office and Fire Department.
