Mark Toro Interview: The Success of Avalon and Plans for Medley
It is hard to deny Avalon’s tremendous impact on the Alpharetta community since opening in 2014. One of the key figures in Avalon’s success was Mark Toro, who oversaw the development prior to starting his own firm, Toro Development Company (TDC).
Toro Development Company is currently working on a mixed-use development close to Alpharetta: Medley in Johns Creek. So far, Medley has announced several retailers: a neighborhood grocer, Sephora, BODYROK, Clean Your Dirty Face, Rena’s Italian Fishery & Grill, Summit Coffee, High Country Outfitters, Petfolk, Five Daughters Bakery, Amorino, Fadó Irish Pub, Lily Sushi Bar, CRÚ Food & Wine Bar, Knuckies Hoagies, Sugarcoat Beauty, BODY20, AYA Medical Spa, Minnie Olivia, Drybar® Shops, Ford Fry’s Little Rey, Burdlife, Pause Studio, 26 Thai Kitchen and Bar, Fogón and Lions, and Cookie Fix.
We had the opportunity to ask Mark Toro about the success of Avalon and what to expect at Medley in Johns Creek.
You have established yourself as one of the most impactful real estate developers in Georgia. Can you provide some background about your journey to founding Toro Development Company?
Before launching Toro Development Company in 2021, I led the North American Properties (NAP) Atlanta office. There, our team of ExperienceMakers™ designed a secret sauce to building community, ultimately developing some of the country’s most successful mixed-use destinations: Atlantic Station, Avalon and Colony Square.
How would you describe the success of Avalon and its impact on Alpharetta and surrounding communities?
Avalon, the now $1 billion community, is one of the top retail destinations in the country. Avalon opened in 2014 as the Southeast’s first “urbanburb,” a walkable, urban, mixed-use experience in a suburban setting. Its success as an “urbanburb” has resonated with the community and industry, paving the way for more high-density, walkable, urban developments in suburban cities across the country.
Dubbed “The Avalon Effect” by many local real estate players, Avalon has captured the attention of the industry, spurring numerous institutional, residential, retail, office and hospitality projects in the immediate area. Having experienced such unparalleled success, developers from around the world routinely tour Avalon and point to the project as an example of the type of dense, retail-driven, mixed-use development they hope to recreate in their own cities, from Oklahoma City to Portland and beyond.
What are some lessons you learned from your experience building Avalon that influence your approach to new developments like Medley in Johns Creek?
We have always valued heart share over market share, and the true success of Avalon transcends the numbers. What we learned was that Avalon became North Fulton’s “Third Place,” a place somewhere beyond home and work that forms an emotional connection with the people who spend time there. It was the place to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and promotions. Nearly 90 marriage proposals have happened within Avalon’s public realm.
Seeing how the community embraced and interacted with Avalon ignited a fire within us to study the world’s most successful Third Places, which became the guiding light in our vision for Medley.
Are there any updates you can provide about Medley, and what are your long-term goals for this development?
We celebrated the official groundbreaking of Medley in January. Already, we have made tremendous progress, including lining up more than 25 best-in-class brands and razing a 350,000-square-foot office building to prepare the site for groundbreaking. Despite a frigid lending environment, we secured financing for the project in November 2024. We will celebrate Medley’s grand opening on October 29, 2026.
For far too long, Johns Creek has been missing somewhere special to call its own. Medley will be the Third Place where the Johns Creek community comes to do life together.
What types of residential options will be available in Medley?
Medley will include 750 multifamily residences and 133 for-sale townhomes built by Empire Communities.
With the rise in remote work, how are you considering the future of office space in Medley?
Today, the office brokers’ new favorite buzzword, “Flight to Quality,” is the idea that the return to office hinges on creative, cool and modern workspaces.
We believe in a “Flight to Energy,” in which office leasing is performing best in walkable, active, mixed-use environments with human energy. We’re seeing the Flight to Energy trend play out in both urban and suburban locations, and Medley is a great example of this. We razed a 350,000-square-foot office building to make way for greenspace, retail, entertainment and pedestrian-friendly streets. The remaining 110,000 square feet of office space is being modernized and incorporated into the master plan.
The demand for office space in activated mixed-use communities remains strong, and we are already in talks with several companies who have expressed interest in leasing office space at Medley.
Sneak Peek of Medley
