Potential Atlanta NHL Expansion Team Thread

[MMC]

 

[MMC]

The project is the brainchild of Vernon Krause, the CEO of Krause Auto Group which owns 18 car dealerships throughout Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas. He paid $52 million in August to buy roughly a fourth of the development site along Ronald Reagan Boulevard and Union Hill Road, according to county property records.

A Monday news release said the land, which was owned by Vinings-based real estate firm Pope and Land, was zoned to become a regional mall development more than 15 years ago, but those plans never came to fruition. Krause said he aims to provide northside residents with large events rivaling Atlanta’s other professional sports developments.

 

[sh724]

Remember when KC built the Sprint Center like 15 years ago? No NHL or NBA teams have come, and no hint of any on the way.

I wouldn't read too much into this based on an arena project on it's own.

Remember when the spring center was built by the city and not be an investor wanting to bring in a team? Remember when KC has said multiple times the arena would be less profitable if they have a tenant?

Arenas are built for many reasons, not all of them are built solely to bring in sports teams.

 

[sh724]

Economists have been saying this as well and cities like Calgary have been ignoring them. There's no way taxpayer funded arenas can recover the city's investment. Even if there's development around it the tax revenue simply doesn't add up - especially when developers start demanding their share of the tax breaks. I think the privately owned arena in Kansas City even said no to the NHL.

The arena in Kansas City is not privately owned it is owned by the city. They did not say no to the NHL, they said they werent interested in having a tenant. But that is a moot point as no one has come forward wanting to own an NHL (or NBA for that matter) team in KC

 

[MMC]

When's the soonest they could break ground on this thing? Assuming it wouldn't need to be too soon after that for them to get awarded the team right?

 

[Mike Jones]

The arena in Kansas City is not privately owned it is owned by the city. They did not say no to the NHL, they said they werent interested in having a tenant. But that is a moot point as no one has come forward wanting to own an NHL (or NBA for that matter) team in KC

Not publicly anyway. Maybe this is dated information but I didn't thnk the NHL liked public pronouncements of interest anyway. There is a local KC family invested and involved in the local hockey scene. I could see them putting out feelers to both the NHL and AHL.

But the decision not to have a tenant is a wise one and one that cities like Calgary should follow. If our tax dollars go to building an arena we, the taxpayers should get the money and not some greedy and demented league.

 

[sh724]

Not publicly anyway. Maybe this is dated information but I didn't thnk the NHL liked public pronouncements of interest anyway. There is a local KC family invested and involved in the local hockey scene. I could see them putting out feelers to both the NHL and AHL.

But the decision not to have a tenant is a wise one and one that cities like Calgary should follow. If our tax dollars go to building an arena we, the taxpayers should get the money and not some greedy and demented league.

I assume you are referring to Lamar Hunt? Literally 4 days ago he said the NHL is not coming to KC and that is not realistic for KC to get either NHL or NBA as the city is not big enough to support another team.

A few years ago he loosely entertained the idea of turning his ECHL team into an AHL team to be STLs farm team but that obviously never materialized and nothing has been said about it since.

This thread has nothing to do with Calgary so im not sure why you keep bringing them up in every post you make. I am sure there are other threads to discuss that

 

[GreenHornet]

When's the soonest they could break ground on this thing? Assuming it wouldn't need to be too soon after that for them to get awarded the team right?

Don't know, but I thought I saw a local TV news report here tonight that it would take approximately three years to complete once shovels went into ground.

 

[mouser]

Not publicly anyway. Maybe this is dated information but I didn't thnk the NHL liked public pronouncements of interest anyway. There is a local KC family invested and involved in the local hockey scene. I could see them putting out feelers to both the NHL and AHL.

But the decision not to have a tenant is a wise one and one that cities like Calgary should follow. If our tax dollars go to building an arena we, the taxpayers should get the money and not some greedy and demented league.

KC residents are paying tax dollars for the T-Mobile arena, even without a pro sports team.

 

[StreetHawk]

KC residents are paying tax dollars for the T-Mobile arena, even without a pro sports team.

And that is with full control over the arena. Predators do not operate Bridgestone arena. They just pay rent of like $100K a year which is nothing. Probably limited to just game day revenues from concessions and stuff.
Would be the only way it would make sense for KC to have a sports tenant.

 

[nhlfan79]

I've even heard Tom Glavine's name bandied about again, though not by anyone anywhere near official.

Glavine was interviewed on 680 The Fan yesterday afternoon. He was excited by the announcement, yet seemed a little dubious about the location being as far north as it is. That said, he said he'd be very interested in being some part of an ownership group and would definitely "entertain the conversation" if someone was to reach out to him. Here's the clip. His comments start about a minute into where I spliced it.

Hall of Famer Tom Glavine April 17 2023 - Chuck and Chernoff

Tom Glavine for his weekly visit

omny.fm

 

[Jets4Life]

Remember when KC built the Sprint Center like 15 years ago? No NHL or NBA teams have come, and no hint of any on the way.

I wouldn't read too much into this based on an arena project on it's own.

KC is a relatively small market area with 2 million people. KC is not really growing that fast either. Atlanta is one of the fastest growing cities in the US, at 6.2 million people. If the right ownership group comes along, I can see hockey working in Atlanta.

 

[jkrdevil]

Best case study we have...Braves moved from the city-center to the burbs about 6 or so years ago and attendance and revenue have gone up.

They’ve also been a better team. There last few years in Turner Field they were below .500. If you go back to their last contending year at Turner Field attendance was about to same as their first few seasons at Sun Trust (attendance subsequently shot up with the WS win)

 

[Tawnos]

And that is with full control over the arena. Predators do not operate Bridgestone arena. They just pay rent of like $100K a year which is nothing. Probably limited to just game day revenues from concessions and stuff.
Would be the only way it would make sense for KC to have a sports tenant.

Predators do operate Bridgestone.

 

[tucker3434]

They’ve also been a better team. There last few years in Turner Field they were below .500. If you go back to their last contending year at Turner Field attendance was about to same as their first few seasons at Sun Trust (attendance subsequently shot up with the WS win)

Don’t forget about the battery, which is also owned by the Braves.

https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2023/03/01/battery-atlanta-revenues-liberty-media.amp.html

 

[Mike Jones]

I assume you are referring to Lamar Hunt? Literally 4 days ago he said the NHL is not coming to KC and that is not realistic for KC to get either NHL or NBA as the city is not big enough to support another team.

A few years ago he loosely entertained the idea of turning his ECHL team into an AHL team to be STLs farm team but that obviously never materialized and nothing has been said about it since.

I was thinking about the Hunt family. They would know whether or not the NHL was going to KC.

 

[Tawnos]

Glavine was interviewed on 680 The Fan yesterday afternoon. He was excited by the announcement, yet seemed a little dubious about the location being as far north as it is. That said, he said he'd be very interested in being some part of an ownership group and would definitely "entertain the conversation" if someone was to reach out to him. Here's the clip. His comments start about a minute into where I spliced it.

Hall of Famer Tom Glavine April 17 2023 - Chuck and Chernoff

Tom Glavine for his weekly visit

omny.fm

I will say that this is further out than I expected when they were talking about Alpharetta originally. It's really at the very edge of where the population density of the northern cities is.

 

[RoyalAir]

Glavine was interviewed on 680 The Fan yesterday afternoon. He was excited by the announcement, yet seemed a little dubious about the location being as far north as it is. That said, he said he'd be very interested in being some part of an ownership group and would definitely "entertain the conversation" if someone was to reach out to him. Here's the clip. His comments start about a minute into where I spliced it.

Hall of Famer Tom Glavine April 17 2023 - Chuck and Chernoff

Tom Glavine for his weekly visit

omny.fm

Thank you for posting this. I don't disagree that the FoCo area is probably just a touch too far north. North Point mall redevelopment made a lot more sense to me.

Hiyeva, Glavine point-blank said he would want to be involved in ownership, and was clear that he has been parts of conversations regarding the NHL and interest in Atlanta prior to expansion.

Sounds like, from reading tea leaves, this could be a fallback location for relocation, either Calgary, AZ, or Winnipeg, as opposed to expansion.

Gonna be a wild ride for a while.

 

[Voight]

The project is the brainchild of Vernon Krause, the CEO of Krause Auto Group which owns 18 car dealerships throughout Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas. He paid $52 million in August to buy roughly a fourth of the development site along Ronald Reagan Boulevard and Union Hill Road, according to county property records.

A Monday news release said the land, which was owned by Vinings-based real estate firm Pope and Land, was zoned to become a regional mall development more than 15 years ago, but those plans never came to fruition. Krause said he aims to provide northside residents with large events rivaling Atlanta’s other professional sports developments.

I'm all for people living their dreams & being positive but if theres no NHL team, whats he going to do with this arena? Is he really going to be able to pry sporting events/concerts/other entertainment etc from State Farm Arena/MB Stadium?

 

[sneakytitz]

When's the soonest they could break ground on this thing? Assuming it wouldn't need to be too soon after that for them to get awarded the team right?

Should know more one week from today when they plan to make a presentation to the Board of Commissioners next Tuesday at 2:00 PM. They have already filed preliminary paperwork to break ground and it looks like they've already got erosion nets up and a few construction trailers on site.

I'm all for people living their dreams & being positive but if theres no NHL team, whats he going to do with this arena? Is he really going to be able to pry sporting events/concerts/other entertainment etc from State Farm Arena/MB Stadium?

Likely State Farm and Gas South. Anything at MBS is far too big for 18,000 seats.

 

[Voight]

Should know more one week from today when they plan to make a presentation to the Board of Commissioners next Tuesday at 2:00 PM. They have already filed preliminary paperwork to break ground and it looks like they've already got erosion nets up and a few construction trailers on site.


Likely State Farm and Gas South. Anything at MBS is far too big for 18,000 seats.

Regardless it seems very optimistic that hell get able to pry events away from SFA

 

[nhlfan79]

Here's the logistical thing I've been bumping around in my mind since yesterday. This location would be great for me personally, as I live in Roswell, about 15 minutes away, door to door. However, if this arena becomes home to an NHL team, I would think it would be a major ordeal for visiting teams to get back to Hartsfield-Jackson on the south side of the metro area to make their flight to wherever is next. Even without traffic, that's roughly an hour's drive by team bus. I would think that players facing a back-to-back would get grumpy that it'll take so long to get out of town after a game.

If the game ends at roughly 10 pm, they're not taking off until midnight at the earliest.

Regardless it seems very optimistic that hell get able to pry events away from SFA

I tend to disagree. I would think events like The Cure, Duran Duran, Paramore, Stevie Nicks, John Mayer, etc. would all be a much easier sell in the northern suburbs than downtown.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

I'm all for people living their dreams & being positive but if theres no NHL team, whats he going to do with this arena? Is he really going to be able to pry sporting events/concerts/other entertainment etc from State Farm Arena/MB Stadium?

The thing that should be stated about the Atlanta metro area is that a lot of suburban (and nearby) residents don't want to go into Atlanta if it can at all be helped. The Braves moved to Cobb County specifically in a calculated move to cater to suburban fans, and I think this is a tacit acknowledgement of that as well.

Plus, not to get political, but the state has been making moves to kneecap Atlanta's growth and some have even suggested splitting the city up to weaken its influence. Even if you only looked at it from a congestion standpoint, it does seem like having a sports and entertainment complex outside of Atlanta makes sense financially, and especially so when socioeconomic trends in the area are taken into account, as crass as that may be.

 

[sneakytitz]

Regardless it seems very optimistic that hell get able to pry events away from SFA

They almost certainly will.

Ameris Bank has been eating Lakewood's lunch since it opened up in 07? 08? Between now and the end of the year, Ameris Bank has about triple the events booked compared to Lakewood. People in North Fulton, Forsyth, Gwinnett, and Cherokee prefer events north of the Perimeter.

 

[KevFu]

I will say that this is further out than I expected when they were talking about Alpharetta originally. It's really at the very edge of where the population density of the northern cities is.

View attachment 690791

Yes, but if instead of population density, you look at the map of Atlanta area (Atlanta is the red box).. the proposed Arena is basically in the middle of the darker spots (aka, richer spots).