Toro Development’s debut will come at new town center north of Atlanta

The man who directed the development of one of the most highly regarded retail centers in the country—Avalon in Alpharetta—has just unveiled the plans for his new company’s first ground-up mixed-use center.

Mark Toro and his Toro Development Company has announced its plans for Medley, a 43-acre mixed-use project that will be the center of a 192-acre town center development to be built in Johns Creek, Ga., a growing northern suburb of Atlanta.

Johns Creek recently received approval to more than double its hospital and medical office space over the next 20 years. A Boston Scientific Life Sciences facility with more than 300 employees will be built adjacent to Medley in the town center.

Medley will contain 200,000 sq. ft of space for retail, restaurants, and entertainment concepts; 900 townhomes and multifamily units, and 110,000 sq. ft. of office space. Renderings of the project promise walkable streets, retail shops with activated rooftops, outdoor patios, and greenspace.

“Our strategy is to develop a highly programmed street-level experience with residences above that bring feet to the street 18 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Toro. “We are carefully planning every detail of this development so that it uniquely caters to the community of Johns Creek. We will host more than 100 community events a year.”

Medley’s rise will be overseen by Toro Development’s Richard Munger, Vicky Boyce, and Carla Cox, all North American Properties alums who helped Mark Toro build Avalon and redevelop Atlantic Station and Colony Square in Atlanta.

Since its opening, Avalon has served the retail real estate industry as a prime model for upscale and activated mixed-use centers in urban environments. The community’s 570,000 sq. ft. of retail space houses brands that include Apple, Whole Foods, Lululemon and Tesla alongside Class A office space, multifamily and single-family homes, and a hotel and conference center.