Forsyth County says hockey bid remains active as NHL eyes expansion

Forsyth County says its hockey bid remains active as the National Hockey League opens a six-month evaluation of possible expansion in Houston or Austin. The county’s effort centers on The Gathering at South Forsyth, a proposed 100-acre mixed-use development on Union Hill Road that would be anchored by an NHL-ready arena and surrounding commercial, retail, hospitality, residential and entertainment space.

The county approved a memorandum of understanding for the project on March 26, 2024, then followed with definitive documents and intergovernmental agreements at a special called meeting on June 11, 2025. Those approvals allowed the developer to move into the next phase, with county leaders saying the project could become a major economic catalyst for metro Atlanta and the Southeast.

The financing plan is the issue residents will be watching most closely. County officials have said the public side of the proposal includes up to $225 million in bond financing, but only if the site lands a professional hockey team. The broader mixed-use portions are expected to be privately financed, while county-backed tax tools and a proposed arena arrangement remain part of the package. Local coverage has put the development at roughly $3 billion, with an arena sized for about 18,000 to 18,500 seats.

That scale would place the project among the largest development bets in south Forsyth, where county leaders are counting on the arena to draw more retail and hospitality investment around it. Forsyth County Chairman Alfred John, who began a second term in January 2025 and has served as chairman for five consecutive years, has publicly championed the bid. Vernon Krause said his group remains in communication with the NHL and is preparing to meet with Commissioner Gary Bettman to discuss expansion.

The Texas expansion process does not directly include Forsyth County, but it raises the stakes for any future NHL placement. The league said the framework in Texas involves the Friedkin family and a prospective investment of about $3.5 billion, including an expansion fee and arena costs. Dallas Stars owner Tom Gaglardi also signed a non-binding letter of intent on June 2, 2026, for a possible arena and entertainment district in Plano, another sign that hockey-related development is moving on multiple fronts.

For Forsyth County, the headline is simple: if the bid advances, the county would be competing for the return of top-level hockey to Georgia for the first time since the Atlanta Thrashers left in 2011. Atlanta previously lost the Flames in 1980, when the franchise relocated to Calgary.