Alpharetta's Planning Commission held its first formal public hearing Thursday, Aug. 6, on Jamestown LP's proposal to rezone the 100-acre North Point Mall site into a walkable sports and entertainment district anchored by a 20,000-seat NHL arena.
The hearing is the last public step before the rezoning application moves to the City Council. Councilman John Hipes said at the Aug. 3 council meeting that the matter would come before the full council "in another two weeks" after the Planning Commission hearing, pointing to the Monday, Aug. 17 meeting. No results from Thursday's hearing had been posted to the city's public archive as of Friday, Aug. 7.
What's proposed
Jamestown LP, the developer behind Atlanta's Ponce City Market, wants to demolish the aging mall and replace it with a mixed-use district that includes:
- A 20,000-seat NHL-size arena aimed at landing an expansion franchise
- A 4,000-seat music hall and performing arts center
- A 2,000-seat community hockey rink
- 907,000 square feet of retail and dining
- 750,000 square feet of office space
- 1,385 apartments
- Three hotels totaling 850 keys
- More than 16 acres of parks, plazas and trails
Property owner New York Life tapped Jamestown to lead the redevelopment. The site is competing with The Gathering at South Forsyth for an NHL expansion team.
Frances Bohn, Jamestown's director of development and construction for North America, said in an April 15 interview with Alpharetta.com that the project would be built in phases over 10 to 15 years if approved, with a construction start date pending the rezoning outcome.
How it's financed
The city unanimously approved Tax Allocation District #3 on Nov. 17, 2025, to fund public improvements without raising tax rates. The 646-acre district, which includes North Point Mall and surrounding commercial parcels, captures future property tax growth from new development and reinvests it in roads, trails, parks, streetscapes and utilities.
As we reported Aug. 4, the TAD could produce an estimated $225 million to $280 million over 30 years if both Fulton County and the Fulton County School District participate. Without school district participation, projections drop to about $174 million. The school district has not publicly confirmed whether it will join.
Mayor Jim Gilvin argued for school district participation at a September 2025 council meeting. "It's not in the school board's best interest to just walk away and let that whole corridor die," he said.
The city posted a TAD explainer on X on Aug. 4 after fielding a wave of resident questions, reiterating that the financing tool does not create a new tax or increase existing rates. The Alpharetta Development Authority also has TAD #3 on its agenda for a Thursday, Aug. 13 meeting at 6 p.m.
North Point Mall's nine tax parcels have lost more than $97 million in assessed value over six years, and property tax revenue from those parcels has dropped 49% since 2019.
How to weigh in
The city held two community zoning meetings at City Hall on June 10 and July 8 before Thursday's formal hearing. A special Planning Commission session also took place July 30.
At the Aug. 3 City Council meeting, Hipes reminded residents to review the full application packet online, calling it "a big project for our city" and urging everyone to "look at the actual documents and see what's actually proposed."
Residents can still submit comments before the anticipated Aug. 17 City Council vote. Project details are available at northpointfuture.com, and upcoming hearing dates are posted at alpharetta.ga.us/public-hearings.
