City Government
City Manager Looks Back on Five Years of Accomplishments: Looking Ahead to Booming Future
Photos by George Hunter
From the Curiosity Lab to a new City Hall, City Manager Brian Johnson has steered Peachtree Corners through many big changes in his first five years on the job. Not that he’s taking credit for it.
“We have had some wins,” says Johnson, who started the job in September 2016. “But again, I want to stress the whole ‘we.’ I might be the CEO of the city, … and the mayor and the council are our board of directors, … but the ‘we’ is critical here. I can’t do it without mayor and council support. I can’t do it without my staff’s support.”
Johnson said he surrounds himself with department heads who “I would like to think are smarter than me” and keeps them focused on city service. “We get in early, we leave late, [and] try to make this the best community we can be to live, work and play,” he said.
Mayor Mike Mason says he’s glad the city brought Johnson onto that team.
“Although Brian was not from the area and moved here shortly after he was hired, in many ways, he saw the city the same way I did from the start — and I’m a 30-plus-year resident who led the ‘Yes!’ campaign and became the first mayor,” said Mason. “That’s been a gift to have someone who shares the vision and then, most importantly, takes action to get things done.
I’m told by other mayors that this ‘sense of ownership’ is unique. He has a relentlessly positive, can-do attitude, and that is so appreciated by the council, citizens and staff.”
Managing a city
A city manager oversees the day-to-day operations of a municipality. Johnson got the taste for the unusual job in an even more unusual way. A Navy intelligence analyst in the 1990s, Johnson switched to the Army and became an infantry officer in the Iraq War. There he found himself as the officer in charge of restoring services to the Sadr City district of Baghdad after the successful U.S. invasion.
“It was pretty cool to see it come back to life,” said Johnson. “A city is only as good as the services it can provide. Years later, when I decided to retire… I realized I really enjoyed that kind of thing.”
Back home, he got a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Georgia and embarked on a city manager career. He started in the Savannah suburb of Garden City, then managed the city of Anniston, Alabama before coming to Peachtree Corners.
Among the professional attractions were the city’s roots in Technology Park and its history as the place where such tech as the modem and the color printer were invented. After all, every city aims to be known for something, Johnson says, and Peachtree Corners already was.
“It’s nice to have that thing that has already been created, to feed and care for it, to ensure it doesn’t die,” he said.
As city manager, Johnson has no typical day, aside from his commitment to being an extreme early riser who aims to be in the office around 5:30 a.m. And no wonder. He said a workday could include talking with Gwinnett County police about street racing, handling a neighborhood complaint about trash collection, working with a company looking to move or expand here, and dealing with a homeowner upset about a neighbor’s tree about to fall on their property. That’s not counting scheduled meetings.
“It could go anywhere on a particular day,” said Johnson. “You could encapsulate a lot of what I do as firefighting.” He says he comes in when the “fire’s a little too hot or too big for a staff member to handle it.”
Another important part of the job, he said, is shielding department heads and staff from the pressures of policy debates. “I keep them from being distracted from too much political interference, from too much resident interference,” he said.
Accomplishments, big and small
The mayor and council have tasked Johnson with carrying out several city-changing tasks. The establishment of Curiosity Lab, the “smart city” and autonomous vehicle test track, in 2019 was a big one that has been “an economic development magnet,” Johnson says.
There was the lack of a traditional downtown, tackled with the creation of Town Center alongside the Forum, which also celebrated a 2019 opening. A small and hard-to-access City Hall in rented space was replaced in 2017 with a move to a bigger building the city owns.
On the economic development front, Johnson and the administration played a role in Intuitive Surgical’s recently announced $600 million expansion of its campus in the city, one of the largest such projects in county history. On the smaller scale, he said the city helped to reduce Technology Park vacancies and bring in around 10,000 jobs.
“There are some things that don’t necessarily tie to a bricks-and-mortar accomplishment,” he added. “We have been successful in keeping the city’s millage rate to zero. We don’t have a property tax.”
“In some cases, the accomplishments are merely me keeping the trains running on time. Some are not particularly sexy, not particularly evident to the untrained eye,” Johnson said. Some of the achievements are more bureaucratic and diplomatic, like the 2018 reworking of the city charter to make it mesh with state law about so-called city-lite governments like Peachtree Corners, with limited services and no property tax. That move spooked some residents about possible government expansion, which has not happened.
Challenges now and in the future
As far as challenges in leading Peachtree Corners, Johnson says it faces many that bedevil all cities. There’s the “age-old one” of never having enough money to do all of the paving, parks and public safety on a wish list, and the occasional frictions with other cities or the “state trying to take away local control.”
In Peachtree Corners, there are the added challenges of paying for everything solely with business and sales taxes, and the political tensions that come with being a very young city whose opponents to the founding are still watching carefully, not in some centuries-distant past.
The historic COVID-19 pandemic was a massive challenge that Johnson says will continue to have lasting local impacts due to the ways it accelerated changes in work and retail, shifting them to virtual, remote and online versions. With more online shopping, the city has to consider the health of local stores. With less business travel, the city wants to make sure its hotels remain robust. With more remote work, the area is already seeing people moving here rather than living closer to Atlanta jobs.
That remote-work factor is just part of what Johnson says is the major challenge — and opportunity — of the future: coping with and harnessing the success of “explosive” growth in metro Atlanta overall and this piece of Gwinnett in particular.
“So we are having a very significant amount of pressure being placed on us for additional housing of all types,” he said. “So managing that growth and also ensuring that our current residents are not affected [are big challenges].” And then there’s the redevelopment of some existing areas that the city would like to spur, he added.
Another challenge of growth that Johnson says the city is handling well is to “make sure that everybody feels welcome” as the city becomes more racially and ethnically diverse. “We are now technically, as they say, a minority-majority city,” he said, adding that is “indicative of the fact this community is seen as an inviting community for all.”
Johnson is enthusiastic about the city’s future because it’s his future, too. He, his wife Cheri and their two children live here. “I’m invested as anyone,” he said. “I very much have a personal stake in how well this community does or does not perform, which, again, is pretty cool — pretty cool when we exceed our own expectations, not so cool when we miss the mark and I beat myself up.”
“It’s a true honor to be sitting at the table where decisions about the direction a community is going [are being made] — That’s a pretty solemn, important duty that I don’t take lightly,” Johnson said. “And I feel honored every day, I feel lucky every day, that we have opportunity to do that.
As we look back at 2024, there were a number of acquisitions, new businesses opening, major renovations and milestones celebrated. I’ll attempt to highlight some of them, knowing that I can’t possibly cover them all. There were some new events this year too.
This past year was a big one for Guardian Sports, a Peachtree Corners company that designs and manufactures helmet covers. The NFL now requires Guardian Caps be worn during NFL during practice, and players may choose to wear them during games. The caps disperse energy during hits with the goal of reducing head injuries.
Insight Sourcing of Peachtree Corners was acquired by Accenture, a leading global professional services company. Insight Sourcing helps clients optimize costs when sourcing and negotiating contracts for materials, services related to capital expenditures and energy procurement management. Accenture is a talent- and innovation-led company with approximately 743,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries.
Axon, the global leader in connected public safety technologies, acquired Fusus, a leader in real-time crime center technology located in Peachtree Corners. Fusus excels in aggregating live video, data and sensor feeds from virtually any source, enhancing situational awareness and investigative capabilities for public safety, education and commercial customers.
Milestone celebrations
Authentic Hardwood Flooring on Amwiler Road celebrated 25 years in business in 2024. Michael Keroack has been steadily growing the operation for roughly eight years in Peachtree Corners with the help of Buddy Wofford, general sales manager, and Michael Blocker, director of operations.
Also celebrating a milestone in 2024 was Diversified Resource Group (DRG). For nearly 25 years, Darrell Creedon has been running DRG in Peachtree Corners, outfitting workspaces for companies and governments, and more recently, hotels and convention centers. Mr. Creedon, who resides in Peachtree Corners, started the furniture business with a college friend in 1999 in a home basement.
City events
The City of Peachtree Corners organized the 2nd Annual Curiosity Lab Criterium in April. This year’s event featured a running race, kids races, food trucks, vendors and other activities for the family. There was also a fun run in Technology Park. Werfen, a global diagnostics company, and the City of Peachtree Corners, partnered on a 5K Walk/Run in Technology Park in November. The event benefitted the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In May, the city organized a food truck event at Curiosity Lab, which drew about 210 people working in and around Technology Park.
The PCBA organized the first Taste of Peachtree Corners in June. It was a great time of networking and community fellowship among business owners and other involved citizens. Approximately 100 people experienced an evening of delicious bites and drinks, sampling foods from local businesses.
New to the city
Blue River Development moved its corporate office from Forsyth County to Peachtree Corners to expand its operations. The company is a leader in real estate development and investment.
A new pediatric dentistry, Agape Pediatric Dentistry, opened at 5185 Peachtree Parkway #325 at The Forum. Two law firms opened on Wetherburn Way: Brooks Injury Law Offices and Tadeo & Silva immigration law firm.
A former steel pipe fabrication site at 6420 Corley Road that was converted to a logistics center is now fully leased. The 27-acre property, which sold for $10.5 million in 2018 was sold for $77.4 million three years later, after it was cleaned up and redeveloped into the Peachtree Corners Logistics Center.
The Central Business District
Also in May, the city adopted a 6-month moratorium on projects in the Central Business District. Due to the increasing number of applications and evolving market trends, the moratorium came into effect on May 3 and ended on November 3. The moratorium gave the city six months to pause rezoning applications, special use permits and variances applications for residential or mixed-use development.
In August, members of the Peachtree Corners City Council took part in a ribbon cutting at The Forum. We celebrated the opening of the new plaza and activity areas. Jamestown is modernizing the 20-year-old Forum shopping center and transforming it into a true mixed-use destination through the addition of a 125-room boutique hotel, approximately 381 multifamily units, new experiential retail and dining offerings, structured parking and an expanded public area.
Construction began in May 2023, and the first of two new greenspace additions were constructed. Phases II and III will see the multifamily and boutique hotel constructed, both slated to start in 2025. Also this year, it was announced that Jamestown, a global real estate investment and management firm, acquired the Cincinnati-based North American Properties, which owned The Forum.
Members of the Peachtree Corners Redevelopment Authority and Downtown Development Authority engaged in a focus group discussion in August at City Hall. The discussion was led by representatives from Kimley-Horn, engineering, planning and design consultants. There was discussion about under-utilized spaces, needed amenities and potential uses for vacant properties. City officials also met with members of the commercial real estate community in September to specifically discuss Technology Park.
International visitors, co-working and new townhome project
An 18-member delegation of Finnish business people visited Curiosity Lab in Peachtree Corners in September. The visit marks the second time a Finnish delegation has visited Peachtree Corners. Seven innovative Finnish companies traveled to the Atlanta area in search of U.S. partners to promote transatlantic trade between Finland and the United States. Japanese delegates involved in sectors such as automotive, technology, energy and corporate development also visited Peachtree Corners in December as part of a regional tour.
Construction of a co-working space, Roam, is well underway at the Town Center and will open in summer 2025. The 35,000-square-foot building is located at 3847 Medlock Bridge Road and will feature a rooftop event space, coffeeshop and cafe, in addition to workspaces.
An office building at 3585 Engineering Drive was demolished earlier this month to make way for a townhome community. The new 75-unit townhome project is under construction by D.R. Horton, which received rezoning approval from the city last February. The 102,000 SF office building sat vacant for many years.
Collaboration, renovation and more
Curiosity Lab announced a collaboration with Gama Sonic, a global leader in upscale, bright and durable solar lighting for homes, businesses and outdoor spaces. The company’s deployment of solar lighting in the City of Peachtree Corners marks its first deployment implementing customized, intelligent lighting programming timers that enhance safety for residents and visitors.
Brady Anderson Bennett recently opened a State Farm office at 3000 Northwoods Parkway. The 27-year-old has been working with State Farm since he was 18 years old.
Renovation is underway at 7050 Jimmy Carter Blvd. for the creation of a Planet Fitness. The gym is under development by Alder Partners/the Flynn Group. This location marks the 32nd location in metro Atlanta. It is expected to open in January.
There is also a relatively new Southern-inspired eatery you may want to try. Dahlia’s Restaurant & Porch, located inside the Hilton Atlanta Northeast hotel, opened this year. Dahlia’s offers Southern-style plates that leverage regionally sourced, farm-fresh ingredients.
Happy Holidays!
Mayor Mike Mason
On May 3, the City of Peachtree Corners put in place a moratorium on development in the central business district.
“One of the reasons that led to that is we were starting to see, from the marketplace, a lot of properties in our central business district come online for sale,” said Community Development Director Shaun Adams during the Peachtree Corners Life podcast with Southwest Gwinnett magazine publisher Rico Figliolini.
“[Developers] were looking to redevelop sites in a way that didn’t necessarily align with what we felt our long-term vision of the central business district was. And when you look at the central business district, it’s a big piece of all of our office parks, including Tech Park and some of our retail nodes.”
Adams added that having one policy that covered the entire area was broader than what the city wanted.
“We pressed pause,” he said, “and started working on a small area plan.”
The planning commission made recommendations on November 12, and the city council voted unanimously to adopt it on December 17.
Key points and concerns
The city’s small area plan focuses on the central business district. Key points included:
- A daytime population of nearly 20,000 versus 2,400 residents — highlighting commuter traffic.
- An asset inventory identified high vacancy and underutilized spaces.
- Seven sub-areas were outlined: district hub, district infill, targeted infill, commercial core, Town Center gateway, flex office and suburban transition.
- Concerns were raised about high-density development in the Town Center gateway area, citing traffic volume and safety issues.
Throughout the process, there were focus groups with brokers and office owners in the central business district. The final plan emphasizes the need for granular development guidelines and community feedback.
“We had a public engagement meeting. I’ve had some one-on-one conversations with members of the public who have reached out to me as well and provided feedback,” said Adams. “As a byproduct of that, we had a couple of themes that came out of those engagement sessions that spoke to more placemaking opportunities or amenitizing the Tech Park/central business district area, taking it from an eight-hour day to a sixteen-hour day type of thought process, [adding] more gathering space where we could and a better mix of housing stock within the area.”
The asset assessment
The city did an “asset inventory” looking at every commercial building in the central business district.
“We did a market analysis as well, to determine how they were from a condition standpoint, what their occupancy rates were, what’s on the market, what’s not [and] what properties have more underutilized space or parking than others,” said Adams.
“And as a byproduct of that, we’ve … set out these seven sub-areas — which is probably the biggest change in the small area plan — within the sub-district that allows us to get a little more granular and look at each of these areas and say, okay, what may make sense from a redevelopment standpoint or development standpoint in one area may not make sense in another.”
As an addendum to the 2045 comprehensive plan, the changes go into effect immediately.
“It is a policy document. It’s not a law document,” said Adams. “The comprehensive plan is meant to guide our 10-to-20-year vision of how we see the city progressing.”
The new plan
“One of the sections that is in the central business district, I didn’t even realize, was the G section [at the] intersection of Peachtree Corners Circle and West Jones Bridge Road and Crooked Creek,” said Figliolini. “I didn’t even realize that was in the central business district area.”
Adams and Figliolini went through the map.
“I think the reason why [this area is] included is because they are mostly institutional uses, which tend to lean on the commercial side versus everything around it being residential,” said Adams.
He explained that the previous policy was too broad for the entire area.
“We identified and understood that what may be appropriate along 141 and sub-area A probably isn’t appropriate in G. And so, we wanted to try to carve that out for a couple of reasons,” he said. “One is for the community to understand that we recognize there’s a difference in what might be able to go there, but also for developers to know that, while it’s in the central business district, athletic fields probably aren’t the place for an intense development.”
That’s why area G has been singled out, Adams added.
“It will maintain its existing institutional character with the schools and the churches and the YMCA there to the extent that if it were to be redeveloped in the future, it needs to take on the low-intensity residential character of all the residential around it,” he said. “And so, if anything, it should act more like … Amberfield and Peachtree Station and everything that’s right by it and less like [the] central business district.”
Retail and entertainment
The darkened areas of the map — The Forum, Town Center and Dick’s Sporting Goods on the south end, along with the Chick-fil-A — are really the retail entertainment sections.
“It really isn’t the same as the rest of the central business district, which is office focused,” said Adams.
He added that Town Center and The Forum are either in the process of or already built out. There’s not a lot of potential for change.
With updates coming to the comprehensive plan about every five years, Adams added that development will evolve with the city’s needs.
“To me, the biggest change is what the sub-areas are allowing us to do, other than stating that we’ve got a couple of zoning districts in the works as a byproduct of this, so that we can fully implement the plan,” said Adams.
“We do have two applications in for December [for the] planning commission, but they’re not really specific to these changes. So, we haven’t had that rush — even though the moratorium ended on November 3 — of people coming in.”
He added, “It’ll be interesting, as people maybe flip their heads out of the sand after the holidays in January and start to kick tires again, to kind of see the reaction of the development community the first couple of times they come in on some of these properties and talk with us about it.”
To read the Central Business District Small Area Study, click here.
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