Johns Creek City Council Work Session Meeting - March 30, 2026
Johns Creek City Council Work Session Meeting - March 30, 2026
The Johns Creek City Council held a work session on March 30, 2026, at 5:00 PM at 11360 Lakefield Drive. The meeting focused on strategic priorities, ongoing projects, and routine business items. Key discussions included the allocation of supplemental Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant (LMIG) funds, proposed regulations for vertiports, and updates to the city's ethics ordinance. The council reached consensus on several items and directed staff to proceed with drafting ordinances and further research.
Consent Calendar
- Routine business items listed as non-discussion included: Ethics Ordinance Updates (redline and clean versions), Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment to Update and Modernize Home Occupation Regulations, Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment to Regulate Secondhand Dealerships, and a report on FIFA Events. These items were not discussed during the meeting but were noted for future action.
Discussion Items
Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant (LMIG) Allocation
- Director O'Connor presented three potential projects for the city's estimated $946,000 in supplemental fiscal year 2026 LMIG funds: (1) Lakefield Drive Streetscape for construction, (2) Medlock Bridge Road Trail for right-of-way and construction, and (3) McGuinness Ferry Road at Riverwalk HOA intersection improvement for engineering, right-of-way, and construction. Staff recommended Option 1.
- Council members expressed general support for the staff recommendation. Several members noted the importance of the Riverwalk intersection, citing historical resident requests for a traffic signal. Discussions revealed that the Medlock Bridge Trail would take 2-3 years to complete and had a funding gap of approximately $1.5-2 million. The Riverwalk signal was estimated at $700,000-$750,000, but it required the HOA to vote on restricting one entrance to meet traffic signal warrants.
- Council Member Aramelli initially favored Option 3 but agreed to pursue Option 1 after staff confirmed that TSPLOST 2 excess revenues could cover the Riverwalk project without cannibalizing other funds. The consensus was to allocate LMIG funds to Lakefield Drive Streetscape and separately pursue the Riverwalk signal using TSPLOST 2 funds, contingent on HOA approval.
Vertiports
- Director O'Connor and Community Development Director Ben Song presented options for amending the zoning code to define vertiports, advanced air mobility (AAM), and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, as well as establishing regulations through special use permits, avigation easements, and operational hours. Staff recommended Option 1 for each category: definitions, special use permits in specific districts, avigation easements on all local rights-of-way, and specified hours of operation.
- Council members discussed the need for more information on noise, safety, air rights, and regulatory frameworks (FAA, GDOT). Council Member DiBiase expressed reluctance to proceed without a public presentation and more details, while Council Member Skinner supported Option 1 but suggested later adjustments (e.g., hours of operation to accommodate early airport trips). Other members, including the mayor, favored moving forward with the foundational code changes to signal openness to future private-sector development.
- The council reached consensus to proceed with staff’s Option 1 recommendations, with the understanding that the ordinance would go through public hearings and could be amended later.
Ethics Ordinance Updates
- City staff presented proposed updates to the ethics ordinance, aiming to clarify timelines and processes. Council members debated several specific provisions:
- Timeframe for council action: Consensus shifted from a requirement to act at the next meeting to within 45 days or the next meeting, whichever is later.
- Role of the hearing officer: Some members favored the hearing officer making a recommendation on discipline; others argued the hearing officer should only find facts. No final decision was reached, and staff was asked to collate options.
- Supermajority requirement: Council Member Skinner proposed requiring a supermajority (5 votes) to overturn the hearing officer’s recommendation, while others preferred a simple majority. This remained unresolved.
- Other edits were discussed, including language on frivolous complaints, statute of limitations, and definitions of “sufficient factual detail.” Staff will incorporate feedback and return with a revised draft.
- The council agreed to continue refining the ordinance and bring it back for further discussion.
Key Outcomes
- LMIG Allocation: Directed staff to apply for the supplemental fiscal year 2026 LMIG funds and allocate them to the Lakefield Drive Streetscape project. The council also expressed intent to fund the Riverwalk HOA intersection signal using TSPLOST 2 excess revenues, pending HOA approval of required traffic pattern changes.
- Vertiports: Instructed staff to proceed with drafting code amendments consistent with staff’s Option 1 recommendations (definitions, special use permits in specific districts, avigation easements on all local rights-of-way, and hours of operation as part of the special use permit). The ordinance will go through the planning commission and a public hearing before final approval.
- Ethics Ordinance: Staff will compile council members’ suggested changes and present a revised draft at a future meeting for further deliberation.
Meeting Transcript
Thank you, Mayor. I want to welcome everyone to our council meeting web sessions on the story. When do you lead the pledge? I would like to leave the flag of the United States on the ARIA. Mayor's remarks. Thank you. The first item under strategic priorities is the local maintenance and improvement grant allocation. We have Director O'Connor for presentation. All right. Good evening, Mayor and Council. Earlier this year, the governor and legislator legislature included $250 million in local road assistance or LRA funding in their amended fiscal year 26 budget, meaning there is a second round of local maintenance and improvement grants or LMIG funding this year. Staff reviewed the current transportation project list to evaluate potential uses for the City of Johns Creek's estimated $946,000 in supplemental funds. Three potential projects include the Lakefield Drive Streetscape for construction, the Midlock Bridge Road Trail for right-of-way and construction, and the McGuinness Ferry Road at Riverwalk HOA intersection improvement for engineering right-of-way and construction. Staff recommends applying for the supplemental fiscal year 26 LMIG funds and allocating them to the Lake Field Drive Streetscape project. And at this time, I would be happy to answer any questions that you have. I agree with the staff recommendation to use these funds for the Lakefield Drive Streetscape. That's already underway, and it would be great to have that construction completed before we wrap up construction in this town center area. And uh just want to note that I am pleased to hear the information, the update about river walk and want us to pursue that. Not with these dollars, but I'm look forward to pursuing that project. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Brian. Definitely uh I go with the staff recommendation on Lakefield Ride. So I'm glad the number three, like it came out the study came out for the signal. So probably we should talk more on uh uh the funding options for that one. So I'm definitely on for that. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for this, Brian. Um do you have those maps just so we can just see those real quick? Just wanted to see the options one, two, three geographically on the map. Uh I can I can go up there to the map if that would help. Fantastic, thank you. So here's the three the three project locations. Uh so you have um the top of the map there is the Lakel Drive Streetscape project, which is is right out here uh in front of City Hall and also includes the new location roadway that that cuts through through uh Johns Creek Parkway. Uh the Medlock Bridge uh trail project is this project that goes from Bobby Jones uh drive down to the river. Um earlier this year we applied for and received ARC funding for the engineering, and we're we we put that out to bid. We will be coming to the uh to you at a future council meeting for that. Um but so this would be for right-of-way and construction funds uh to advance that project. Or the third option would be the um the entrance to the river walk subdivision on McGuinness Ferry Road. It's the the last neighborhood uh in Johns Creek before you cross the river, uh, and looking at a potential signal uh in cooperation with that HOA. So those are the those are the three locations of the project. Thank you. So thank you very much for that. So um we're the Lake Field uh project seems to be uh moving forward because we have an active project going forward. Um how much further behind is the Medlock Bridge Trail project? I know we're in engineering, but when do you see if we were to say accelerator go? When would the the sidewalks be completed there versus what we're doing at Lake Field? So be you know, because we applied for federal funds and we have to go through the federal funding process. We put the RFQ out for engineering.
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