Medley expansion advances in Johns Creek with 7 new retailers

Johns Creek’s biggest mixed-use bet is gaining momentum fast. Toro Development Company and Ascentris have secured a $90 million construction loan for Encore, the second phase of Medley, while adding seven more retailers that push the project deeper into lease-up before the first phase even opens.

The new tenants include Warby Parker, Tabla, Hollow Oak, The Nest Cafe, CT Cantina & Taqueria, The Commodore and 13 Hub Lane. With those additions, Medley now has 37 executed leases, covering 78% of its retail space and 82% of its office space. That pace matters because the 43-acre development at Johns Creek Pkwy is being positioned as more than a shopping center. It is aiming to function as a full live-work-play district for north-metro residents who might otherwise head farther south for dining, errands and entertainment.

Encore is slated to add 408 multifamily residences and 20,000 square feet of ground-floor retail when it opens in 2027. Broader descriptions of the phase say it will ultimately include 145,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, 881 rental units, a 150-key boutique hotel and 110,000 square feet of lifestyle office space. The larger Medley project is valued at $560 million, underscoring the scale of the wager Toro and Ascentris are making on Johns Creek’s market.

The development’s first phase is on track to open by October 2026, with a grand opening date of October 29, 2026 cited in coverage. That timing gives Medley a near-term test case: whether a dense, walkable district can pull spending, office demand and evening traffic into Johns Creek instead of sending it toward established destinations such as Halcyon, Avalon and Cumming City Center. For Forsyth County readers, that competition is not academic. It shapes where families eat, where professionals work and where weekend traffic flows across the north metro.

Medley’s official plans call for 85,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment space, 85,000 square feet of class A office, 1,500 luxury rental homes and townhomes, and a boutique hotel around a central plaza designed to host as many as 200 events a year. With financing in hand and the retail roster filling up, the project is moving from concept to a measurable regional draw. The real question now is whether Johns Creek can turn that momentum into a lasting destination, not just another upscale address.