Alpharetta, Georgia – Questions about the future of North Point are drawing renewed attention to a financing tool that can sound more complicated than it is. At the center of the discussion is Tax Allocation District #3, covering North Point Mall and hundreds of acres around it.
For residents trying to understand what that means, one point is especially important: the district does not create a new tax or raise existing property tax rates. Instead, it is designed to capture future growth in property tax revenue and direct that increase back into the same area.
A Tax Allocation District, commonly called a TAD, is an economic development financing mechanism used to support redevelopment. When new development increases property values inside the designated district, the additional property tax revenue generated by that growth can be used for eligible public improvements within the district.
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Those improvements can include roads, trails, parks, streetscapes, utilities and other infrastructure intended to support redevelopment.
Alpharetta’s North Point TAD covers approximately 646 acres, including North Point Mall and surrounding commercial properties. According to the district’s Redevelopment Plan, it was created to help finance qualifying public improvements tied to the long-term redevelopment and revitalization of the North Point area.
That distinction is central to how the district works. The financing is connected to future increases in tax revenue generated as development occurs, rather than a separate tax being placed on properties simply because they are located within the TAD.
The city has recently received questions about TAD #3 and is directing residents to existing materials that explain how the district was established and how it is intended to function.
People looking for a more detailed explanation can watch the November 17, 2025 City Council presentation, which discusses the North Point TAD and its role in the area.
The full North Point TAD Redevelopment Plan is also available online. The document provides additional information about the approximately 646-acre district, its redevelopment goals and the types of public improvements that may be supported through the financing structure.
As North Point continues to be discussed in the context of redevelopment, the TAD provides one mechanism for directing future tax-revenue growth toward infrastructure within the area where that growth occurs.
