The Gathering Is Ready to Build. The NHL Still Holds the Key to the Arena

The Gathering at South Forsyth approved key agreements but awaits NHL franchise for arena funding. Construction of surrounding development could start soon.

By

Tsvi Jolles

Published June 23, 2026

The Gathering at South Forsyth is closer to construction than at any point since the project was announced in 2023. Yet the development and its proposed 18,500-seat arena are not necessarily operating on the same timetable.

Forsyth County records show that the county, school board and development authority approved the project’s central agreements in June 2025. Those documents established the arena operating plan, the Tax Allocation District, payment arrangements and other financial mechanisms needed to move the 100-acre project forward near Union Hill Road and Ronald Reagan Boulevard.

The distinction inside those agreements is important. The developer is expected to privately finance the residential, hotel, office and retail portions of The Gathering, along with several site improvements. Forsyth County’s contribution of up to $225 million toward the arena, however, can be activated only after the NHL awards a franchise to the project.

Site between GA 400 exits 11 and 12 for The Gathering at South Forsyth. GA 400 on left, Ronald Reagan Blvd on upper right.

That means construction activity connected to the broader mixed-use district could begin while the hockey decision remains unresolved. Axios previously reported that the arena is included in the first of four planned development phases, but the county’s financing commitment prevents the publicly backed portion from moving fully ahead without a team.

Vernon Krause, the developer leading the project, told FOX 5 Atlanta in February that his group remained in communication with the NHL and was approaching investors with the expectation that an expansion franchise could cost at least $2 billion. Krause also said The Gathering would continue even if the ownership group did not secure a team.

Forsyth County Chairman Alfred John has described the property as shovel-ready, pointing to its zoning, approved tax district and planned access from the expanding GA-400 corridor. The site is also positioned near the new McGinnis Ferry interchange and a planned managed-lane connection at Union Hill Road.

The Gathering. Photo courtesy of Lincoln Property Co. — Photo courtesy of Lincoln Property Co.

The unresolved piece remains the NHL. The league has acknowledged interest from several markets, including Atlanta, but has not publicly opened a formal expansion process or awarded a franchise. A competing North Atlanta proposal is also moving through the planning process at North Point Mall in Alpharetta, roughly six miles south of The Gathering.

For South Forsyth residents, the immediate story is therefore larger than hockey. A major new district of homes, hotels, restaurants, offices and entertainment venues is moving closer to the construction stage. Whether its centerpiece opens as an NHL arena will be decided somewhere beyond Forsyth County.