Top of Mind
The city spent $7 million on a tunnel, and the floor tells you why
The pedestrian tunnel under Medlock Bridge Road is finished and open. It runs 124 feet long and 42 feet wide, near Johns Creek Parkway, connecting homes and businesses on the west side to The Boardwalk, which opened in May. The ribbon cutting is Tuesday, August 12 at 9 a.m., but you can walk through it today.
Forty-two feet is wide for a pedestrian crossing, and there is a reason. The floor is artificial turf, put there on purpose so tents go up easily. Public Works Director Brian O'Connor says the tunnel is meant to host events and festivals, not just move people through. Nobody carpets a culvert. That detail is the whole argument: this was not built as infrastructure, it was built as a room.
The case for spending that money is walkability, and Councilman Dilip Tunki put it in the most practical terms available. Park on the far side of Medlock Bridge Road, eat at the restaurants there, and walk over. The point is to make Town Center function as one destination rather than several parking lots that happen to be near each other. When an America 250 celebration drew more than 15,000 people to The Boardwalk this summer, the crossing was the constraint.
The project broke ground in 2024 at $6.5 million, reaching $7 million with right-of-way and engineering, funded by Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax dollars.
Source: Johns Creek preparing to open Town Center pedestrian tunnel
Council Watch
At its July 27 meeting, the council reviewed an agreement with the Georgia Department of Transportation covering the new tunnel: GDOT performs the structural integrity inspections, and the city handles routine maintenance. That means cleaning, lighting, drainage, landscaping, and graffiti removal are Johns Creek's bill, not the state's.
Separately, on July 13 the council approved changes to the Home Occupation Code, adding restrictions on businesses run out of residential property. Home occupation rules generally govern client visits, signage, employee counts, and parking. What has not been made clear is what these specific restrictions require, or whether businesses already operating are grandfathered in. If you run a business from your house in Johns Creek, that matters, and we are going after the ordinance text. We will report the specifics.
Source: Johns Creek City Council approves home business rules
Building Johns Creek
Medley now has a date. The 42-acre mixed-use district at Johns Creek Parkway and McGinnis Ferry Road is on pace for an October 29 grand opening, with the first apartment residents moving in November 1.
Preleasing has started at Prelude at Medley, the first residential building: 340 one and two bedroom apartments running 788 to 1,514 square feet. Rents are not published yet. A second phase called Encore is expected to add 408 more apartments next year, and Tableau at Medley will bring 133 for-sale townhomes from Empire Homes starting in the $700,000s.
The retail is further along than most people realize. A Trader Joe's already opened there last month. Signed tenants include Shake Shack, Sephora, Warby Parker, Five Daughters Bakery, Summit Coffee, Northern China Eatery, and the first suburban location of Fado Irish Pub. A 150-room boutique hotel is now targeted for 2028.
Also worth watching: the city has entered a due diligence period on 5.86 acres at 11555 Medlock Bridge Road, across the lake from City Hall, currently holding a two-story office building. It would extend The Boardwalk footprint. Council authorized the due diligence but has not voted on a purchase, and terms have not been disclosed.
Source: Medley seeks first residents, Urbanize Atlanta · Johns Creek could enhance The Boardwalk with land purchase
Neighbors
Three Dollar Cafe is taking the former Wild Wing Cafe space at Abbotts Village on Jones Bridge Road, turning one of the center's largest restaurant bays into a full-service sports bar. Construction is underway and hiring has started for servers and bartenders. No opening date has been announced, though the company is aiming for football season. Three Dollar Cafe started in Sandy Springs in 1983 and now runs locations in Alpharetta, Peachtree Corners, Buford, Chamblee, Kennesaw, and Marietta. That bay has sat empty since Wild Wing closed.
Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que is opening at 10710 State Bridge Road, Suite 150. The address carries an Alpharetta mailing designation but the location sits inside Johns Creek city limits.
Source: Famous Dave's to open Johns Creek location
Calendar
Tuesday, August 4 · 7 PM. Tuesday Trivia Night at Six Bridges Brewing. Runs weekly.
Thursday, August 6 · 6:30 PM. In Good Company Wellness Club at Six Bridges Brewing.
Friday, August 7 · 6 PM. Summer Concert Series at Newtown Park, with Guardians of the Jukebox.
Thursday, August 13 · 7 PM. Music Bingo with Natalie at Six Bridges Brewing.
One More Thing
Johns Creek is the best place to live in Georgia. That is according to HomeSnacks, which ranks cities nationwide using Census and FBI data, and which scored Johns Creek 9.5 out of 10, first in the state.
The numbers behind it: a median household income of $160,093, a median home value of $703,497, and a crime rate about 75 percent below the national average. Second place went to Milton, third to Sandy Springs, with Roswell fifth and Alpharetta seventh. North Fulton took four of the top ten.
We are new here, so consider this our introduction: The Bridgeline covers Johns Creek and only Johns Creek, three mornings a week, free. If something in town matters to you and we missed it, tell us. That is the whole idea.