Before the crowds: Inside Medley, Johns Creek’s $560 million bet

A week before Medley’s opening, I asked Mark Toro where he would stand to see the development as he had imagined it.

“The plaza,” he said.

Restaurants and patios surround the square, a deliberate choice by the developer who helped create Avalon in Alpharetta. At Medley, Toro wants diners to finish a meal, find a seat outside and stay. The people living upstairs and working nearby are meant to keep the place busy beyond the dinner rush.

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The $560 million, 43-acre development at Johns Creek Parkway and McGinnis Ferry Road will hold its public ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. Oct. 29. Its opening will bring shops, restaurants and gathering spaces to a former State Farm office campus that sat vacant for years.

On our walk Thursday, Oct. 22, Toro described the decisions behind that transformation, from which buildings came down to which restaurants got a place around the plaza. Along the way, we passed a mural still in progress and met apartment staff preparing to welcome their first residents. Some restaurants won’t open until after the ribbon cutting.

Toro, founder and chief vision officer of Toro Development Company, said the property’s owners approached his team about five years ago because of its work on Avalon. The campus had nearly half a million square feet of empty offices. About 350,000 square feet were demolished, while a smaller office building was retained and renovated.

Boehringer Ingelheim has already moved its U.S. Animal Health headquarters to Medley, leasing about 73,000 square feet. For Toro, the appeal of the workplace extends to what employees can do when they step outside: meet a colleague, have lunch or stay after work without getting back in the car.

Medley is one part of Johns Creek’s larger, 192-acre Town Center plan, which connects housing, businesses and offices with parks and pathways. Toro sees his development serving Johns Creek and nearby South Forsyth, drawing people who otherwise leave the area for an evening out.

A lesson from Madrid

One of Medley’s influences dates to Toro’s honeymoon, when he and his wife visited Madrid’s Plaza de Santa Ana. Restaurants lined the square, with outdoor tables bringing their customers into a shared public space.

Years later, at Avalon, some of the businesses facing the plaza sold clothing and other merchandise. At Medley, he reserved those positions for food and drink, giving the square restaurant patios on every side.

Toro’s ambition is to out-Avalon Avalon. Years of living and working there showed him what he wanted to improve, from the mix around the plaza to the placement of concierge services and valet operations. Several members of Medley’s team worked at Avalon, too, bringing their own experience to those decisions.

Other ideas came from farther afield. A bar built around a tree in Idaho inspired Medley’s Tree Bar, which incorporates an existing tree on the property. Toro expects it to host music and other activities at least three days a week, weather permitting.

“When I saw this tree, I’m like, we can do that,” he said.

The staffing is part of the plan. Toro said a hospitality trainer recently brought together employees from restaurants, shops, the apartment community, housekeeping, security and valet operations. They work for different companies, but he wants visitors to receive the same level of attention throughout Medley.

He distinguishes service — “what I can do for you” — from hospitality: “how I make you feel.” That attention, he said, should continue when a restaurant customer walks outside and settles beside a fireplace.

Choosing who gets a table

The restaurant lineup took years to assemble. Toro said his team considered roughly 60 operators to arrive at 16 selections, with his wife joining him on unannounced visits to prospective tenants’ restaurants.

They paid attention to the room, the service and the way an evening felt. Sometimes, he said, they formed a judgment within minutes.

The mix also reflects the city around it. Toro said Medley’s name grew out of conversations about Johns Creek’s cultural diversity, and he wanted restaurants representing different cuisines. The lineup includes Northern China Eatery, Lily Sushi Bar, 26 Thai Kitchen & Bar and the Indian restaurant Tabla, alongside businesses such as Rena’s Italian Fishery & Grill and Fogón and Lions.

Some relationships began long before Medley. Toro recalled getting to know Lily Sushi Bar owner Susan Vuong while she was managing another restaurant. After she opened her own business, his team recruited her to Johns Creek.

He was equally direct about the commercial attraction of the location, describing the surrounding market as “360 degrees of solid gold.” His wager is that nearby households will support a concentration of restaurants and shops close to home.

Medley’s housing carries prices consistent with that ambition. During Thursday’s tour, leasing staff quoted starting monthly rents of about $2,100 for a one-bedroom apartment and $3,400 for a two-bedroom.

An opening in stages

Prelude, Medley’s first apartment community, has 340 homes. Staff said the first move-ins are expected Nov. 2. Its amenities include a fitness center, pool, coworking areas and a package room with refrigerated storage for deliveries.

The broader development also includes 133 Tableau townhomes. Encore, a second apartment community with 408 homes, is scheduled for 2027, while a 150-room hotel is planned for 2028. Those later phases mean next week’s opening will begin Medley’s public life while construction continues.

The first celebrations will begin Oct. 28 with Medley Unveiled, a ticketed evening benefiting the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra. The preview, which has sold out, will run from 6 to 10 p.m., with restaurant tastings and entertainment throughout the property.

The public ribbon cutting follows the next morning in the plaza. A Tree Bar celebration is scheduled for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 29, and a family-friendly Halloween party will take over the plaza from 6 to 10 p.m. Oct. 30.

Beyond opening week, Medley plans up to 200 events a year. The plaza will become an ice rink for the holidays, with its opening scheduled for Nov. 27, staff said Thursday.

Want to see more photos? Take a look through our Medley photo tour.