Johns Creek To Host Meetings on Design Plans For The District

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Johns Creek residents are invited to attend two meeting this week on design plans for The District, the city’s initiative to transform more than 700 acres around Technology Park into an active downtown area.

On Wednesday, April 15, community members are invited to interact with experts from Urban Design Associates in a design studio experience as renderings and visuals are created based on the input gathered from citizens during the initial public meeting last month.

Planners, architects and other designers will also base their concepts on data gathering, analysis and focus group input collected since the master planning process began. This session will be a drop-in anytime from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The following evening, Thursday, April 16, citizens are invited to join UDA professionals for a presentation of the analysis and alternatives developed for consideration. Small group discussions will allow members of the community to share their thoughts directly with the UDA team.

This session will begin at 7 p.m. and go until 9 p.m. Both the Wednesday and Thursday sessions will be held at 11555 Medlock Bridge Road Suite 190.

The District is a bold vision to remake 728 acres centered around Technology Park into an area with an “active downtown sense of place that will transform Johns Creek into a world-class city by becoming an economically and socially vibrant gathering spot that reflects the best of the Johns Creek community,” the city has said.

The District would also address several critical issues facing the city while preserving Johns Creek’s residential character.

“We are undertaking this effort to accomplish a number of things that otherwise wouldn’t be as easily achieved,” said Mayor Mike Bodker.

The mayor added Johns Creek has to find a way to generate additional revenue to maintain or improve its current level of services without asking residents to contribute more than they already have.

By focusing development in one central area, The District will protect existing neighborhoods from commercial sprawl and density.

The District also will make Johns Creek more competitive economically. With an environment slated to attract a younger, “energetic” workforce, the city will have a leg up in attracting more corporate relocation and expansion projects, Bodker continued.

The District will create a vibrant, street-level experience attractive to residents and visitors alike. Johns Creek’s residents and business owners are encouraged to share their own big ideas and bold visions at this early stage of the process.

“We need your input to guide the vision as each brushstroke brings the full image of The District to life,” Bodker said. “Active participation in public input meetings is needed to ensure the District solves our economic viability challenge but also represents your vision of Johns Creek. We need every citizen as a member of ‘Team Johns Creek’ working together on a legacy we can look back on proudly and say ‘I was a part of that.’”

Photo credit: city of Johns Creek’s Facebook page