Johns Creek Closes on New City Hall Building

JOHNS CREEK, GA -- It's official: the city of Johns Creek is now the owner of a building that will serve as the new home for its municipal operations.

The city last week closed on the purchase of the building on Lakefield Drive in Technology Park.

Johns Creek plans to consolidate all of its department's management and headquarter functions – City Hall, Public Safety and Municipal Court – into one location, which will improve efficiency in communications and overall operations.

“We are very pleased with closing on the new city hall purchase and taking the next step in the process to consolidate all City functions under one roof,” said Mayor Mike Bodker. “This important milestone fits well into what is shaping up to be a transformational year as the city of Johns Creek enters the second decade of its existence.”

With the purchaseof an existing office building, the city will also realize significant savings by avoiding the costs associated with new construction as well as converting rent payments to developing equity in a facility the city will own.

The city plans to renovate the 75,000 square foot building, utilizing 10 years of operating experience to create a citizen centric facility. The City Council recognized that a predictable debt service schedule through ownership provides greater financial certainty compared to short-term lease agreements with annual escalators. The conversion of rent payments to pay for ownership, inclusive of maintenance and operations, will result in a projected net savings to the city on an annual basis.

Other advantages of staff consolidation include the opportunity to create a centralized Emergency Operations Center that is co-located with the city’s high tech Traffic Control Center. The new facility also offers increased efficiency of space via a combined courtroom and City Council chambers.

The building, which is located at 11360 Lakefield Drive near LifeTime Fitness, sits on 7 acres and comes at a cost of $9.4 million, or roughly $125 per square foot. The city considered other options for purchase, but nothing was available that met its space requirements.

Currently, Johns Creek City Hall and the Fire Department headquarters staffs are divided among two floors in approximately 36,000 square feet of office space, while the Police Department and Municipal Court are in a separate 20,000-square-foot facility with an identified immediate need for an additional 10,000 square feet of space.

With the purchase, Johns Creek will also control approximately 340 parking spaces adjacent to recently acquired land for a linear park.

The exact timeline for the move has yet to be determined.

Image via city of Johns Creek