FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Forsyth County commissioners will get their first chance to discuss a proposal for a $1 billion arena with a retail and entertainment district.

The presentation for The Gathering at South Forsyth will be heard at a 2 p.m. work session on Tuesday.

A local businessman plans to transform over 100 acres in Forsyth County into a mixed-used project that will actually be bigger than The Battery.

The multi-year, multi-billion project will feature new restaurants, shops and residential spaces along with $1 billion arena.

Klein spoke with Forsyth County Commissioner Laura Semanson, who will present the Gathering at South Forsyth proposal at Tuesday’s meeting. Klein asked if the county hopes the mixed-used development will lure an National Hockey League team back to the state.

“That’s not something that I can guarantee at this point. What I can say about it is that you know, we are positioning this development to be able to host something of that nature, as well as, you know, all of the other things that you might go down to the Benz for,” she said.

The Gathering at South Forsyth would be built at the intersection of Union Hill Road and Ronald Reagan Boulevard. The land originally had been zoned as a regional mall more than 15 years ago.

At the time, the county agreed to infrastructure updates, including extending Ronald Reagan Blvd, widening McGinnis Ferry Road and building a new exit ramp off Georgia 400.

“Even with the old plan, there were five ingress and egress points already to the site that were planned. Plus, we’re working with GDOT to have some dedicated lane for that,” Semanson said. “So we’ll manage traffic. So we’ll have less impact on our local roads, and thoroughfares, it’ll be easier for people to navigate on and off 400 to get to and from the project.”

The Gathering at South Forsyth is expected to cost north of $2 billion and will take three to four years to complete once the groundbreaking happens.

Leaders say Forsyth County is one of the fastest-growing counties not only in Georgia, but across the country. Between 2000 and 2019, Forsyth County grew by 132% compared to a 27% population growth rate for all of Georgia, according to U.S. Census data.

Alex Warner, the senior vice president of economic development for Forsyth County, says the Gathering at South Forsyth would be a game changer for the business community.

“We have the highest educated workforce in the state and been exportin, but with this project can keep here in Forsyth and we’re excited about that,” he said.

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