Sandy Springs over time could develop a thriving “city center” with the addition of a grid of new streets and a network of new green spaces and pathways that together would attract housing and shops, consultants told city officials on Nov. 6.
“We think this should be market-driven,” David Dixon, principal-in-charge of planning and urban design for city consultants Goody Clancy of Boston, told members of Sandy Springs City Council during their regular meeting.
Dixon said the market now is for new housing. But he portrayed a new mixed-use “downtown” for Sandy Springs that in addition to new neighborhoods and parks could include more shops, more offices and a boutique hotel.
Goody Clancy consultants plan to present their plan to the public in a meeting next week at Sandy Springs City Hall.
The council will consider the proposed new master plan for downtown development during its first formal meeting in December, city officials said.
The proposed plan, as outlined by Goody Clancy associate Ben Carlson, features a 3-acre “city green” on the city-owned former Target property; new streets, including an extension of Bluestone Road; and designation of the area as the “city center.”
Carlson said 27 percent of the area now is covered by parking lots. Under the proposed master plan, the area covered by surface parking would drop to 15 percent to 20 percent of the total, he told council members.
“This [plan] is all about housing and retail and cultural centers … that work because they work together,” Carlson said. “If they were separated, it wouldn’t work.”
Sandy Springs over time could develop a thriving “city center” with the addition of a grid of new streets and a network of new green spaces and pathways that together would attract housing and shops, consultants told city officials on Nov. 6.
“We think this should be market-driven,” David Dixon, principal-in-charge of planning and urban design for city consultants Goody Clancy of Boston, told members of Sandy Springs City Council during their regular meeting.
Dixon said the market now is for new housing. But he portrayed a new mixed-use “downtown” for Sandy Springs that in addition to new neighborhoods and parks could include more shops, more offices and a boutique hotel.
Goody Clancy consultants plan to present their plan to the public in a meeting on Nov. 15 at Sandy Springs City Hall. The meeting is scheduled from 6 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.
The council will consider the proposed new master plan for downtown development during its first formal meeting in December, city officials said.
The proposed plan, as outlined by Goody Clancy associate Ben Carlson, features a 3-acre “city green” on the city-owned former Target property; new streets, including an extension of Bluestone Road; and designation of the area as the “city center.”
Carlson said 27 percent of the area now is covered by parking lots. Under the proposed master plan, the area covered by surface parking would drop to 15 percent to 20 percent of the total, he told council members.
“This [plan] is all about housing and retail and cultural centers … that work because they work together,” Carlson said. “If they were separated, it wouldn’t work.”