A new city revision to the controversial Sandy Springs Circle streetscape design will eliminate two points of debate: some on-street parking and a sidewalk that doubled up with a multi-use path.
Following an August meeting where residents heavily criticized the plan, city staff looked at “anything to mitigate, minimize, improve” the project, said Assistant City Manager Bryant Poole at a Nov. 1 City Council meeting where the revision was approved by consensus. He said the revised design “resolves concerns” while “still meeting the spirit” of the City Center Master Plan’s walkable street grid concepts.
Poole said the project contract can be altered to make the changes and that the state Department of Transportation and the Atlanta Regional Commission have already reviewed the proposal.
The plan for Sandy Springs Circle between Hammond Drive and Mount Vernon Highway has been highly controversial since it was unveiled in March. Big points of controversy were turning two of four travel lanes into parallel parking and large right-of-way takings due to installing both a sidewalk and a multi-use path.
The Sandy Springs United Methodist Church said it would be particularly affected due to its possible partnership in a private redevelopment on part of its property. The church delivered hundreds of petitions to the city opposing the design.
Now only one northbound lane will be converted into on-street parking, while the two southbound lanes will remain open. The plan also eliminates a 6-foot-wide sidewalk, reduces the need for retaining walls, and keeps the church’s driveway in its current location.
Church attorney Scott Peters thanked city for revising and “coming back with a project the church is comfortable with and is happy to see going forward.”
The changes will increase the design cost of the $7 million project, but also save money due to less right-of-way acquisition and fewer items to build, Poole said. The project also will be delayed somewhat, he said, but not too much, because the city must spend some state and federal funds in the current fiscal year or lose them.
One reason the city wants the on-street, parallel parking is to discourage speeding by making the street feel more residential and less like a highway. Questioned by Councilmember Chris Burnett, Poole said that speeding remains a concern and that the city will look for other “traffic calming” measures to add to Sandy Springs Circle. Poole also said that it “wouldn’t be too difficult” to remove the on-street parking from the northbound lane if traffic volumes demanded it in the future; likewise, he said it would not be hard to add on-street parking to the southbound lane as originally intended if the city wanted to in the future.
Did anyone clarify how many lanes would be eliminated (if any) in this revised plan?
That’s the main thing all of us care about. Mr. Ruch can you clarify?
We have updated the story following the council meeting. One travel lane, rather than two, will be eliminated for parking.
I don’t think parking will make a highway feel residential. On street parallel parking will cause more accidents, but the 24 hour gridlock will keep the crashes down to low speed impact s.
The back ups will be massive. Where will all the cars from Cobb County go when this project is completed? That is the main thoroughfare for Cobb County workers to get to the Perimeter area.
Personal injury lawyers 100% approve of this plan! The accidents from citizens attempting attempting to parallel park along a major thoroughfare will be a huge book of business.
Safety for nonexistent bikers is being prioritized over safety for the tens of thousands of actual drivers.
First the Brickery and Glenridge Hall gone, then a quarter billion of our money spent for a city hall, now we shrink the major arterial roads that can’t handle current-day volume as it is?
Unreal.
Any on-street parking is a horrible solution. traffic “calming” must be another word for traffic congestion. Thanks a lot Sandy Springs.