Sandy Springs officials said the city will make some policy changes after a mansion party hosted by rappers at a house on Northland Drive brought noise and disruption to the neighborhood.
The June 9 party brought cars that lined neighborhood streets, security guards carrying rifles and loud music that lasted all day into the night, residents told the City Council at its June 18 meeting.
Residents said the cars blocking emergency vehicle access and presence of large guns made them worry for their safety, and others kept their children inside to prevent them from seeing the party’s activities.
“I apologize. You shouldn’t have to go through that,” Mayor Rusty Paul told the residents. “We’re going to make some changes.”
Those plan to include making sure police officers hired off-duty as security for events know if it has a permit or not and making changes the event policy, Paul said. City Attorney Dan Lee also said the owner of the house where the party took place, 4889 Northland Drive, would be cited by code enforcement June 19.
“We try to learn from things that happen in our community and make adjustments,” Paul said.
Councilmember Tibby DeJulio, who represents the area, said the city should look into a legal way to “keep this from happening.”
“People don’t need to be unable to get in and out of their homes,” DeJulio said. “We need to make sure this doesn’t happen in Sandy Springs.”
The party followed a similar one for the Super Bowl in February, residents said. The house has also been used for soap opera filming, DeJulio said.
“My concern is that this will continue,” resident Lee Haverstock said.
Paul encouraged residents to call 911, which many said they did. Police came and the music stopped for 30 minutes before returning until the party was fully shut down, residents said.
The party lasted longer than it should have given that it was unpermitted, residents said.
Matt Weathers, who lives on the nearby Landmark Drive, said he was concerned the party would have blocked emergency vehicle access for an elderly neighbor if they needed it. Cars were parked so tightly on some streets that residents had to back out of the street because they couldn’t go down it, he said.
Weathers was out of town during the party, but was in contact in with police to get cars parked in his yard moved off his property, he said.
“It’s just unfortunate that I can’t go out of town without wondering what’s happening to my property when I’m gone,” he said.
Publicity photos show the party was hosted by an event company and headlined by hip-hop artists like Chris Brown, Trey Songz, Nelly and 50 Cent.
Mansion parties have previously been held in at mansions in Buckhead, causing residents there to voice similar concerns.
The parties left Atlanta officials concerned about coping with the arrival of the national trend of renting mansions for parties staged by professional promoters.