Former 58 Acre Dean Gardens Estate in Johns Creek, GA For Sale

5800 Old Alabama Road, Johns Creek, Georgia, United States

With the news of construction being halted at the 58 acre estate at 5800 Old Alabama Road in Johns Creek, Georgia since February, Johns Creek Post has reported that property owner Lennar Homes has abandoned the project and put it up for sale. According to Johns Creek Post much of the land along the Chattahoochee River was deemed unbuildable with severe erosion problems which brought down the allowable amount of homes to be built. The 58 acre estate, previously known as Dean Gardens, originally included a 42,000 square foot Neoclassical mansion on manicured grounds with a 2 acre lake, wedding chapel, private amphitheatre, an 18-hole par-72 golf course, caretaker’s house, gardener’s cottage and helipad. The estate was also known for its extensive formal gardens, partially modelled after Victoria, British Columbia’s famed Butchart Gardens.  The mansion was designed & built over four years in the late 80s & early 90s by entrepreneur Larry Dean & wife Lynda for close to $25,000,000. The couple originally put it on the market for $40,000,000 before selling to entertainer Tyler Perry in 2010 for $7,600,000. At the time it had been reported that Perry planned to raze the mansion while keeping the mature formal gardens as a backdrop to a new mansion, but instead sold the property for $9,200,000 to Lennar Homes.  Johns Creek Post speculates that Lennar Homes has spent close to $13,000,000 on demolition and earthwork prepping for the development.  Chris Coughlin, who is running for city council in Johns Creek, has stated this would be an exceptional opportunity for the city to purchase the 58 acre estate as a pristine riverfront park, it’s just too bad that this is being considered after the formal gardens were ripped out. See the PDF document outlining the listing here. Scroll down to see several current and before photos.