A city illustration shows the planned landscaping and fencing to be installed outside the Georgia Power substation on Mount Vernon Highway. (Special)

Sandy Springs will cover the Georgia Power substation across the street from City Springs as part of a multiuse path project.

The City Council unanimously approved an easement agreement with the power company at its March 5 meeting. Landscaping and fencing will be installed around the substation as part of a construction project that will build a 10-foot-wide concrete path from Mount Vernon Highway to Hilderbrand Road.

“We envisioned screening the substation across the street from the beginning and beautifying it as much as a substation can be beautified,” Mayor Rusty Paul said. 

An illustration shows an aerial view of the path, substation and landscaping. Mount Vernon Highway runs on the right of image and the substation is shown in brown. (Special)

The city expects to bid the path project in April, complete construction in August and install landscaping by October, said Marty Martin, the director of public works, at the meeting.

In a study on bringing a hotel to near City Springs, consultants said the substation, located south of City Springs on Mount Vernon Highway, is a “visual hindrance” and should be, at the minimum, hidden by landscaping to attract an operator, according to a presentation at the City Council retreat in January.

A Google Earth image shows the Georgia Power substation south of City Springs on Mount Vernon Highway.