Rockin’ all night
37 Main at odds with ‘sleepless’ residents ►►PAGE 6
Players of the Year named Find out who made the cut ►►PAGES 30 – 31
Celebricktion Father, son’s mammoth Lego City now on display ►►PAGE 34
December 18, 2014 | johnscreekherald.com | 75,000 circulation Revue & News, Johns Creek Herald, Milton Herald & Forsyth Herald combined | 50¢ | Volume 18, No. 50
JC makes new City Center start No. 1 objective to grow commercial tax base By HATCHER HURD hatcher@appenmediagroup.com
HATCHER HURD/STAFF
Teenage engineering Johns Creek High School student Vasishta Srirama steers a hovercraft he and his teammates have made. From left are Adam Grexa, Steve Wycoff, Srirama and Brian Sledjeski, holding the power cord. They are part of a four-year engineering program in which North Fulton students do amazing things. See story, Page 35.
JOHNS CREEK, Ga. – Johns Creek took a giant step Dec. 15 into transforming itself from a collection of subdivisions and shopping centers into a vibrant, successful city united by a thoughtfully crafted business district and community center. With that as a preamble,
the Johns Creek City Council voted unanimously to accept the $250,000 bid from Urban Design Associates/WakefieldBeasley & Associates to create a new 728-acre central business district with a mixed-use City Center as a gathering place and focal point for citizens and visitors. “This is nothing less than a 20-year, transformational plan,” said City Manager Warren Hutmacher when presented the city’s choice to award the contract for creating the implementation strategy. Pittsburgh-based Urban Design says, “We build cities,” and they do it through collaboration with the stakeholders. The goals of the plan are threefold, Hutmacher said: Reduce the imbalance of the city’s tax base, which today is 81 percent resi-
See CENTER, Page 4
City Council to decide election call in January Still weighing cost of special election By HATCHER HURD hatcher@appenmediagroup.com JOHNS CREEK, Ga. – In its Dec.15 workshop, the Johns Creek City Council discussed the issue of whether to hold a
special election to fill the two vacant council seats or save the cost by waiting another 11 months for a regularly scheduled election. The council postponed a decision until the first meeting
in January, which is as long as they can wait to call an election in March. A June special election would still be viable. Then they went into the regular council meeting where citizens stepped up to the microphone to have their say at
See ELECTION, Page 32
The Central Business Planning District encompasses 728 acres. It follows the Ga. 141 corridor beginning at Abbotts Bridge Road and is bisected on the north end by McGinnis Ferry Road.