Group Donates $1.5 Million Towards 133-Acre Park Purchase

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Johns Creek, GA -- The Trust for Public Land is contributing $1.5 million towards the $20.3 million purchase price of 133 acres of park land on the Chattahoochee River at Cauley Creek.

As part of the agreement, the city of Johns Creek will also partner with the Trust for professional services related to the acquisition, which will include a professionally administered public opinion survey and feasibility research on funding options for park development.

The Trust for Public Land requires that the city use the land for a park, but does not limit what park uses Johns Creek may choose.

“This partnership with Trust for Public Land is a win-win-win,” said Mayor Mike Bodker. “The city receives financial assistance to defray the purchase price of the property; the Trust for Public Land receives assurance that the land will stay a park; and the residents of Johns Creek will have new recreational opportunities in an area that’s underserved for parks.”

The City Council in November authorized the mayor to execute a $20.3 million purchase agreement for the land, which includes a dormant water reclamation plant. While specific plans for the development of the park are yet to be determined, the public will have opportunities to share their vision for the future park.

The property is located in the eastern half of the city adjacent to the Rogers Bridge Trail and the proposed Rogers Bridge connection to Duluth. The property fronts Bell Road and has nearly 2,000 feet of frontage along the Chattahoochee River. To the west, the property is bordered by Cauley Creek and to the east by the Rogers Bridge Trail.

Founded in 1972, the Trust is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and preserving land for citizens. It is now considered a national leader and innovator in city park creation, state and local conservation funding and for their use of geographic information systems for conservation planning.

In Georgia, the Trust has had a heightened interest in preserving and conserving land along the Chattahoochee River. In 1995, the Trust partnered with other conservationists to create the Chattahoochee River Land Protection Campaign, a long-term effort to establish a green corridor along the river, extending from the north Georgia Mountains around Helen south to Columbus. To date, Trust for Public Land and its partners have conserved more than 76 miles of river frontage and more than 18,000 acres of land in the river corridor, at an acquisition cost of more than $250 million.

The proposed park ties in with a 2010 purchase of 44 acres on the Chattahoochee River and directly adjacent to the Rogers Bridge Trail by the Trust for Public land that was sold to National Park Service in 2011.

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Image via city of Johns Creek