Alpharetta has approved 195 townhomes on Old Milton Parkway and a hockey-centered redevelopment of North Point Mall, but neither project has an announced construction start date.

The approvals establish what developers can build. Engineering, permitting and other requirements remain, and North Point faces an additional hurdle: securing an NHL franchise.

Old Milton Parkway townhomes

The City Council voted 6–1 on Aug. 17 to approve 195 for-sale townhomes at 3842 Old Milton Parkway, according to North Atlanta Star.

Empire Homes plans 105 homes on the western portion of the roughly 29-acre property. Toll Brothers would build 90 on the eastern side.

The council changed the property’s comprehensive-plan designation from professional office to high-density residential and rezoned it from CUP to R-10M. The approval includes 25 conditions addressing architecture, open space, lighting, sidewalks, tree preservation and pedestrian connections. No more than 10% of the homes may be rented.

The developers must obtain required permits and comply with the conditions as the project progresses. A pedestrian bridge connection across Big Creek could also require federal approval.

Construction, pricing and move-in dates have not been announced in the available reporting. The absence of an announced schedule does not establish whether permit applications have been filed.

North Point depends on an NHL team

At its Aug. 24 meeting, the council voted 4–3 to approve the nearly 99-acre North Point Mall redevelopment, as The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Jamestown’s plan includes a 20,000-seat arena, up to 1,385 rental apartments, two hotels, offices, shops and restaurants. The approval carries nearly 75 conditions, including requirements tying the redevelopment to an NHL franchise.

“The approved proposal will not move forward without an NHL team,” Frances Bohn, Jamestown’s director of development and construction, told North Atlanta Star in written responses published Sept. 3.

Bohn said the mall would continue operating while the development team pursued design, infrastructure planning and permitting. Preliminary, non-invasive site work could occur, but major physical changes were not expected during the following year. No construction start date was established.

If the NHL does not select North Point, Jamestown would need to develop another concept and seek city approval again, Bohn said.

Competition for a franchise

North Point is one of several efforts seeking to bring NHL hockey back to metro Atlanta. The Gathering at South Forsyth is pursuing a separate arena-centered development.

A third effort emerged in September. In its Sept. 11 report, the AJC reported that former NHL player and TNT analyst Anson Carter was pursuing an independent ownership bid.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN that Carter had “broken with the Alpharetta group.” Carter had not selected a location, Daly said.

For Old Milton Parkway, permits and a builder-announced schedule would provide clearer signs of when construction could begin. At North Point, the development team must also resolve the franchise question before the approved vision can move forward.