Toll Brothers can now start building its 189-home Embry Farms subdivision in western Johns Creek after the City Council approved a development agreement Monday, Aug. 10, removing the last administrative hurdle before the luxury homebuilder can pull a land disturbance permit.
The council also approved a maintenance agreement with the Georgia Department of Transportation for the city's new $7 million pedestrian tunnel under Medlock Bridge Road. Both items passed on the consent agenda without separate discussion, according to the council's meeting record.
Embry Farms: what the deal requires
The agreement with Toll Southeast LP Company, Inc., Toll Brothers' legal entity, locks in road improvements the developer must complete at its own expense along Rogers Circle before homes are occupied. Those include:
- A single-lane, four-legged roundabout with a minimum 135-foot diameter at the subdivision entrance, large enough for school buses and fire trucks. The roundabout will realign the southern driveway of River Trail Middle School and the Embry Farm Road entrance.
- A 250-foot extension of the existing right-turn lane serving Shakerag Elementary School to reduce morning stacking.
- Funding or construction of turn lane improvements at the Bell Road and Rogers Circle intersection, with the cost determined by the public works director based on design, engineering and construction expenses.
The council approved Embry Farms' zoning on Aug. 25, 2025, on a contentious 3-2 vote, with Mayor John Bradberry and council members Coughlin and Elwood in favor and council members Skinner and DiBiase opposed. Council members Tunki and Erramilli recused themselves. That zoning approval required Toll Brothers to execute the development agreement before receiving any land disturbance permit.
The 204-acre property sits near 10505 Embry Farm Road in the Shakerag District, with the Chattahoochee River to the south and Shakerag Park to the northeast. Homes are expected to sell for $1.5 million to $2 million on lots of at least half an acre, with minimum heated floor area of 3,000 square feet. The plan preserves at least 65 acres of open green space and includes a 12-foot multi-use trail along the river with a permanent public easement connecting to Shakerag Park and Cauley Creek Park.
No groundbreaking date has been announced.
Tunnel maintenance now the city's job
The GDOT agreement formalizes who keeps the 124-foot-long, 42-foot-wide pedestrian tunnel operating. Under the pact, Johns Creek public works director Brian O'Connor's department takes responsibility for cleaning, lighting, drainage, landscaping and graffiti removal. GDOT will handle structural integrity inspections.
The tunnel, which opened to the public in early August and held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday, Aug. 12, links neighborhoods west of Medlock Bridge Road to The Boardwalk at Town Center. It cost $6.5 million to construct using T-SPLOST funds, with total project costs reaching $7 million after right-of-way and engineering work. Construction broke ground in 2024.
The passage also connects pedestrians to the $560 million Medley mixed-use development at Johns Creek Parkway and McGinnis Ferry Road, which is scheduled to open Oct. 29. Medley developer Mark Toro told Appen Media on Aug. 3 that the tunnel would draw visitors across Medlock Bridge Road: "If people come to events here, they could park on the other side of Medlock Bridge Road, enjoy those restaurants and the businesses, and walk."
