New Johnson Ferry-Shallowford subdivision getting underway Archives

Site work is getting started for the residential component of the redevelopment of the Johnson Ferry-Shallowford intersection that was the point of contention during a lengthy rezoning process five years ago.

Toll Brothers, a national residential builder, announced this week that it’s commencing construction of a gated luxury subdivision to be called Shallowford Pointe, with advance sales to begin later this year.

The subdivision will have 75 single-family detached units and other amenities on land facing Johnson Ferry Road, at Waterfront Drive.

That’s a residential road leading to the Waterfront and MarLanta subdivisions and that was reconfigured to meet a traffic signal on Johnson Ferry with access to the Shallowford Falls Shopping Center.

Shallowford Pointe will feature homes ranging from 2,319 to 3,659 square feet and from 3-5 bedrooms 2.5-3.5 bathrooms with prices starting at $1 million.

“Shallowford Pointe provides an exceptional opportunity to live in a luxury home in one of East Cobb’s most desirable locations,” Eric White, Division President of Toll Brothers in Georgia, said in a company release.

“With dynamic amenities, proximity to premier shopping and entertainment, and access to top-rated schools, this community is perfect for home shoppers seeking the best of East Cobb living.”

Toll Brothers also has been building high-end townhomes as part of the new East Cobb Walk mixed-use development at the site of the former Sprayberry Crossing Shopping Center.

*An interior rendering at Shallowford Pointe, with prices starting at $1 million.*

Shallowford Pointe is part of another mixed-use project that includes the ongoing construction of the East Cobb Church at the Johnson Ferry-Shallowford intersection.

North Point Ministries, which operates East Cobb Church, got rezoning in 2021 for the 33-acre assemblage of land at the southwest intersection, whose previous owners, Fred and Lynn Hanna, wanted to sell only to one buyer.

Opposition grew to residential plans calling for 95 units, with nearby residents concerned about density, traffic and stormwater runoff issues. Others objected to frequent site plan updates that were submitted without being presented to the community.

Some citizens who spoke out wondered whether the rezoning would have been considered at all had it not been made by a religious organization.

One of the stipulations included in final passage called for a reduction of housing units after a dredged-up lake was declared to be in a flood plain area.

That declaration, plus the Waterfront Drive relocation, reduced the size of the developable land to 13.89 acres.

North Point Ministries sold that acreage to Johnson Ferry Road, LLC in December 2021, just after the rezoning, for $4.25 million, according to Cobb property tax records.

The land was then sold in June 2025 for $16.669 million to Arroyo Capital, a prominent acquisition and development capital firm, which also paid $4.431 million for three more acres along Waterfront Drive that includes a stream and will have natural landscape buffering.

The Shallowford Pointe site plan (see below) calls for primary right-in, right-out access via Johnson Ferry. The amenities include a pool, cabana, grill station and a covered open-air lounge with a fireplace. Residents also can customize interior features in their homes.

East Cobb Church, which began meeting at Eastside Church on Lower Roswell Road and currently holds services at Fellowship Christian School in Roswell, is expected to open its new location in 2027.

North Point Ministries owns two separate tracts on Johnson Ferry on either side of Waterfront Drive that its initial plans called for small retail space.

Georgia DOT also is planning a $2.7 million traffic improvement project at the intersection to reduce congestion and accidents. The components include signal modifications, the addition of a westbound lane on Shallowford at Johnson Ferry and the removal of an eastbound through lane.

Work was initially scheduled to begin in 2026, but an updated timeline hasn’t been announced.