For Mark Toro, the promise of Medley came into focus over coffee and a shared bagel.
After spending the night in an apartment at Prelude, the residential community within the new Johns Creek development, Toro and his wife, Nancy, walked to Summit Coffee. Their order was simple: a skim latte, a cappuccino and an everything bagel to split.
Then they walked the boardwalk.
It was an ordinary morning routine made possible by an extraordinary amount of planning, construction and investment — and a glimpse of the everyday life Toro hopes will define Medley.
On Thursday, Oct. 29, the 43-acre, $560 million mixed-use development officially welcomed the public with a ribbon cutting on its central Plaza. The opening marked a milestone for a city working to establish a recognizable gathering place where dinner, shopping, work and a conversation with a neighbor can happen within walking distance.
For Johns Creek Mayor John Bradberry, the goal had always been to create a community nucleus.
“We wanted there to be this place … where our businesses, our residents, would be able to have a nucleus in our community for that sense of place, sense of identity,” he said.
A vision tested before it was embraced
The transformation of the former State Farm office campus did not begin with unanimous enthusiasm for every detail.
Bradberry described “healthy skepticism” as city leaders examined the proposal, questioned its scale and pushed for something appropriate to Johns Creek.
Toro’s promises included concierge service, valet parking and the hospitality touches intended to distinguish Medley from a conventional shopping center. Council members wanted to understand how those ideas would translate into a functioning neighborhood.
“We poked and prodded,” Bradberry said.
Once officials were satisfied that the proposal fit the community’s needs, he said, they committed to supporting it.
“Look around,” he told the opening-day audience. “All those things have come true.”
Medley is intended to help advance Johns Creek’s larger 192-acre Town Center Vision and Plan, connecting housing and businesses with public spaces and pedestrian routes. The development’s website describes it as a “Third Place” — somewhere beyond home and work where people can gather.
An opening date with no wiggle room
For investment partner Tricia Noble, the initial pitch required a leap of faith.
The co-founder and managing director of Denver-based Ascentris recalled Toro describing an abandoned office campus, an ambitious mix of uses and the ingredients that would make it feel like a community.
She was intrigued, but cautious.
Then came the deadline. Toro was not offering a general target of late 2026. He specified Oct. 29, 2026.
“Some might call that confidence, others craziness,” Noble said.
Her team examined the proposal and joined the project. Standing at the opening, she described the result as on time and on budget.
Toro, founder and chief vision officer of Toro Development Company, used much of his time at the microphone to recognize the people who helped deliver it. He thanked development staff, construction and design teams, leasing partners, investors and city employees whose work often happened far from the public spotlight.
“Projects like this are never the work of one person or one moment,” he said. “They’re built over years through dedication, sacrifice and the belief of people who often don’t get to stand in the spotlight when the vision finally becomes reality.”
A reason to stay awhile
For visitors, Medley’s appeal begins with choices.
The opening lineup includes familiar names such as Trader Joe’s, Shake Shack and Sephora alongside restaurants, boutiques and services that invite a longer visit.
A morning might begin at Summit Coffee or The Nest Cafe. An afternoon could include High Country Outfitters, a stop at Drybar or gelato from Amorino. Dinner options include Rena’s Italian Fishery & Grill, Lily Sushi Bar and STIR, making its Georgia debut with an oyster bar, scratch kitchen and adjoining Tonic House cocktail lounge.
Five Daughters Bakery, Cookie Fix and Playa Bowls add more reasons to wander between stops.
Other businesses include BODYROK, Kontour Med Spa, Moop’s Boutique, Clean Your Dirty Face, The Commodore, Sugarcoat, Hollow Oak, Burdlife and Petfolk.
The mix is designed to bring together everyday errands, dining and leisure rather than requiring a separate drive for each.
The Plaza supplies the shared space between them.
Medley’s opening celebration began Oct. 28 with Medley Unveiled, a sold-out preview benefiting the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra. The announced program included restaurant tastings, a string quartet, dueling pianos and entertainment at the Tree Bar. The three-day grand opening celebration also included an Oct. 30 family-friendly Party on the Plaza.
Those gatherings offer an early indication of how the outdoor spaces will function after the ribbon-cutting crowd goes home.
Opening doors, with more to come
The grand opening is the beginning of Medley’s daily life, rather than the completion of every part of the development.
At the ceremony, Toro said the office building had reached 100% leased, following two leases completed the previous day. Retail leasing stood at 90%.
He also said the first residents at Prelude were scheduled to arrive Monday, Nov. 2. Empire Homes, building the Tableau at Medley townhomes, had sold 23 homes, he reported.
At full build-out, plans call for 883 residences, a 150-room boutique hotel and 110,000 square feet of office space, along with the shopping, dining and entertainment uses surrounding the 25,000-square-foot Plaza. The hotel is expected to open in 2028.
Toro told attendees that groundbreaking with hotel partner Mainsail was anticipated early next year.
The second phase, Encore, is also moving forward. In April, Toro Development Company and Ascentris announced a $90 million construction loan for that phase, which includes 408 additional apartments and 20,000 square feet of ground-floor retail.
Project estimates supplied for the opening put the anticipated economic impact at approximately 1,000 jobs and $6.2 million in annual sales tax revenue. Those are projections, with the development continuing to take shape.
The relationships behind the real estate
Bradberry offered one example of how the project’s promises could extend beyond amenities.
During the approval process, he had asked whether discounted apartments could be made available to police officers. Months later, he said, Toro called without prompting to report that a written offer had been extended to the police department.
The mayor cited that follow-through as part of the trust developed during the project.
Toro also recognized the people responsible for carrying Medley into its next chapter, including Carla Cox and Paul Bodine, whose work helped bring the opening celebrations to life.
The challenge now shifts from delivering buildings to creating a place people choose repeatedly: for a weekday lunch, a celebration, an evening outside or a chance encounter.
Bradberry called the opening a turning point for the city.
“We’re going to make this the third place that Johns Creek has been lacking,” he said.
And if Toro’s opening-morning routine becomes an ordinary experience for others, the measure of success may be as simple as walking out for coffee, sharing a bagel and finding a reason to keep strolling.
For business information, events and parking details, visit medleyjohnscreek.com. Medley is located at the intersection of Johns Creek Parkway and McGinnis Ferry Road.
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