A new project in Forsyth County, Georgia has been proposed with the goal of bringing an NHL franchise back to Atlanta. A Georgia developer proposed to convert more than 100-acres of open land into a multipurpose “live, work, play” venue.[1] The multipurpose venue would include restaurants, stores, a business hotel, residential units, and a 750,000-square-foot arena. The arena would be the center-piece of the venue and would hold about 18,000 seats. This land was originally slated for a mall about 15 years ago, however, developer Vernon Krause now proposes a $1.5-$2 billion state-of-the-art arena.
Forsyth County leaders say that they are Georgia’s fasting-growing county this century. Between 2000-2019, Forsyth County grew by 132%, compared to a 27% population growth rate for all of Georgia.[2] As it continues to grow, Krause hopes to make Forsyth County the hub of Georgia, with an arena that is larger than nearby State Farm Arena at the center. Carl Hirsch, managing partner of Stafford Sports, the consulting firm representing Krause on the project said, “It will have every amenity that you would expect from a modern arena. It will be built to be very fan-friendly. The guest amenities will be second to none. And it’ll be a very interactive space with a plaza out in front and just very welcoming kind of area.” Stafford Sports has previously consulted on projects for Madison Square Garden, T-Mobile Arena, Bridgestone Arena, and Climate Pledge Arena, all of which are homes to current NHL teams.
While bringing an NHL team is not the sole purpose of building the arena, Hirsh said they would love to have a professional sports team as a tenant, if and when one becomes available. Forsyth County Commissioner Laura Semanson believes Krause and the developers are taking a gamble, but have strong beliefs in the project. When asked if she believes the project would succeed without a permanent sports team, Semanson said, “[t]hey believe in Forsyth County. They believe in their ability to attract the type of entertainment that it takes. I believe that the numbers have already been run in terms of what that would look like, without having a national franchise here. And the numbers still work. So, it’s all the better if we do get a national franchise, but that’s not something that we’re focused on right now.”
While the NHL is not actively looking to expand at this time, it has not been ruled out for the future. After wrapping up the annual General Manager meetings in March, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said, “We’re not in an expansion mode right now. There continues to be a number of people, entities and cities expressing interest in having an NHL franchise where they don’t have one, places like Atlanta, like Houston, like Quebec City. But it’s not really something, at least right now, that’s anywhere close to the front burner for us.”[3] It remains to be seen whether news of this new arena in Forsyth County will propel Atlanta to the top of the list for potential cities in the event of a relocation or expansion. Bettman said the League has not yet studied whether Atlanta could sustain another club but, “to the extent that we’re getting expressions of interest from the general Atlanta region, it’s in locations for arenas that are different than where they’ve been.”
Atlanta has previously had two NHL teams. The Atlanta Flames were there from 1972 to 1980 before moving to Calgary, and the Atlanta Thrashers were there from 1999 to 2011 before being relocated to Winnipeg. Both times the NHL was in Atlanta it failed to work out as expected, and both teams ended up being relocated due to limited fan engagement to support the cost.[4] Why would the NHL go back to Atlanta for a third time? What has changed to make the NHL and Atlanta developers believe that the city could now support an NHL franchise? It will be interesting to see what happens as the NHL attempts to bring more fans to the game, and whether Atlanta will be one of the first “new” cities to get an NHL franchise. However, the question remains, if you build it, will they come?
[1] https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/forsyth-county-new-arena-nhl-team
[2] https://www.wsbtv.com/sports/exclusive-1-billion-arena-with-development-bigger-than-battery-proposed-forsyth-county/J2R2TVK2NVHOVBDT6WAQKBY3VE/
[3] https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/35865464/nhl-good-place-no-expansion-future
[4] https://bleacherreport.com/articles/691255-nhl-power-rankings-top-ten-cities-that-should-never-have-had-a-franchise
Leave a Reply