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Planning commission rejects Embry Farm rezoning after residents raise density, floodplain and traffic concerns
Summary
The Johns Creek Planning Commission voted 5–2 to reject Toll Brothers' rezoning petition for the 204-acre Embry Farm, after staff presentations, developer remarks and extended public opposition citing alleged environmental, density and traffic-study flaws.
The Johns Creek Planning Commission voted 5'to'2 on May 16 to reject land use petition RZ-24-0010, a request by Toll Brothers to rezone the 204.10-acre Embry Farm for a 200-lot single-family subdivision.
Planning and Zoning Manager Ruchi Agarwal summarized staff's presentation, describing the request as a community unit plan (CUP) proposing 200 single-family detached homes at a gross density of 0.98 units per acre, with roughly 98 of the 204 acres preserved as open space and a proposed 12-foot multi-use trail along the Chattahoochee River. Agarwal also flagged traffic-study findings: the development would generate about 1,909 daily trips and the Rogers & Bell Road westbound approach could degrade from LOS E to F without mitigation.
Developer representative Den Webb emphasized changes made after neighbor meetings and highlighted mitigation proposals including a four-leg roundabout and additional stacking lanes. Webb said the project would "maintain roughly 0.5 of the property, 98 of the 204 acres as open space" and estimated the roundabout cost at about $2,500,000.
Multiple residents and neighborhood spokespeople pressed the commission to deny the petition. Miriam Malik of Spring Meadow Farms told commissioners, "The ESA submitted by the applicant is both incomplete and inaccurate," and argued the application misapplied gross-versus-net density calculations and undercounted wetlands and floodplain constraints. Other neighbors raised sewer feasibility, steep slope and endangered-species concerns, and warned of safety risks from locating a roundabout near school driveways.
Staff and the applicant disputed several factual claims but acknowledged some procedural limits: Webb said the team had initially requested stream-buffer variances but withdrew them pending engineered plans. City staff emphasized the city's practice of using gross density for comp-plan consistency and noted ARC/MRPA (Metropolitan River Protection Act) review would follow engineering submissions.
After extended questioning about traffic modeling, MRPA timing and buffer planting, Commissioner (speaker 7) moved to reject the petition; the motion was seconded and the commission recorded a 5'to'2 vote to reject RZ-24-0010. The chair announced the case will proceed to the City Council on May 19 where council may take its own action.
