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Young professionals queried for opinions on pending projects within Johns Creek JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Young professionals of Johns Creek were invited to participate in an opportunity to learn about and provide input on new developments in the city at the NEXT Gen Forum July 10. Held from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, Johns Creek college students and young professionals could provide their input on the future growth and development of the city and learn about the latest projects, including: •
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Medley Johns Creek — a 43acre, mixed-use development to include retail, restaurants and entertainment concepts, residential units and office space Boston Scientific — a leading manufacturer of medical devices Cauley Creek Park — the city’s largest park at 203 acres, which includes a 5K rubberized trail, more than 10 lighted sports sites, two synthetic and two turf lighted athletic fields as well as a pedestrian bridge and river overlooks Creekside Park — 20-plus acres of parkland anchored by the pond behind Johns Creek City Hall, which will have a constructed wetland, amphitheater, terraced seating, a small playground and a 15-footwide trail leading up to East Johns Crossing
AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA
In the Publix parking lot on State Bridge Road, a large water oak, estimated to be more than 100 years old, is under threat for the development of a Shake Shack. Site plans, which call for its removal, were expected to be reviewed by the Johns Creek Planning Commission July 10.
Groups call for community action to help preserve historic water oak By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — The Johns Creek Historical Society is mounting a campaign to save a 69-foot water oak that stands in the way of a planned Shake Shack near the Publix on State Bridge Road. The tree, with a spread of 100 feet and a trunk 48 inches in diameter, has withstood the test of time dating back more than a century, but it now
faces the axe as part of the proposed building project. “In a city with very little remaining that physically ties to its history, the tree is a treasure,” writes Joan Compton, president of the Johns Creek Historical Society. Compton created a document detailing the water oak, aka the Publix tree. In it, she advocates the denial of site plans for a 3,500-squarefoot Shake Shack, which call for its removal. The project would subdivide a
.72-acre out-parcel from an 8.65-acre property, which Compton says means there are other options. The Publix tree is one of 17 heritage trees Compton has listed in an Excel spreadsheet, a project started during the COVID-19 pandemic. She said the oldest tree in Johns Creek, near the Regal Cinema, dates to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Each tree tells the history of
See TREE, Page 7