The Gathering at South Forsyth

The Gathering at South Forsyth is a proposed mixed-use development in the Atlanta metropolitan area to be located in Forsyth County, Georgia near the city of Alpharetta. The centerpiece of the development is an 18,000-seat arena, intended to bring a National Hockey League franchise back to the metro Atlanta area.

The Gathering at South Forsyth is modeled after The Battery Atlanta, a mixed-use development in Cobb County anchored by Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball.

History
In 2023, rumors of an NHL team returning to Atlanta began to emerge from ESPN analyst John Buccigross as hints were dropped about Atlanta coming back to the NHL for the first time since the Atlanta Thrashers left in 2011.

On April 17, 2023, Vernon Krause, owner of Krause Sports & Entertainment, announced plans to build an entertainment center called The Gathering at South Forsyth which includes an arena built for a potential NHL team. The Gathering is planned to be built on an undeveloped 100 acre tract of land originally zoned for a shopping center at the intersection of Ronald Reagan Boulevard and Union Hill Road near the Fulton–Forsyth County line. If built, the arena would sit 18,000 for hockey and 20,000 for concerts. A week later, on April 25, the Forsyth County Board approved plans to move forward with the project.

Then in December 2023, fellow ESPN analyst Kevin Weekes revealed more details on The Gathering at South Forsyth which said the plans would move forward. In January 2024, The Forsyth County voted 4 to 1 to move plans forward again on the massive complex which would cost $2 billion on the condition that Krause secures an NHL franchise. KSE held a public forum on the Forsyth campus of Lanier Technical College on March 19, 2024 to get input from Forysth County residents regarding The Gathering development, ahead of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners meeting the following week. Although the Board of Commissioners approved a revised memorandum of understanding during their March 26 meeting, Krause expressed disappointment over last-minute changes to the MOU.

In March 2024, details on the cost of the arena came out which said that the arena would cost $700 million and that ASM Global would manage the arena, a group that has managed other arenas such as, T-Mobile Arena and Crypto.com Arena.

Also in March, former NHL player Anson Carter and his new group Alpharetta Sports & Entertainment revealed a competing bid for a potential Atlanta NHL expansion team; Carter's proposal would be located at the site of the North Point Mall, 6 mi south of The Gathering at South Forsyth site.