The Perimeter Community Improvement Districts may offer Sandy Springs $2.85 million to help fund construction of the Mount Vernon Trail, which will run from Abernathy Road west to near Vernon Trace along Mount Vernon Highway.

Ann Hanlon, the PCIDs’ executive director, told the Sandy Springs City Council during its April 6 work session that she was pitching the idea to the city even before bringing it for a vote by her boards of directors.

The Perimeter Community Improvement Districts picked the stretch of the Mount Vernon Trail within the Fulton County portion’s boundaries, shown in yellow to fund as a pilot project with the city of Sandy Springs. (PCIDs)

The PCIDs is a self-taxing district of commercial property owners who voluntarily pay additional property taxes to help speed needed transportation and infrastructure improvement projects through funding.

“We are basically proposing to fund the right of way acquisition and the construction of the city’s project within the CID footprint. So you can see the cost here that the CID could potentially be funding. Just a funding partner, writing a check to the city would be about $2.85 million,” Hanlon said.

She said one of the reasons staff from her organization and the city picked the Mount Vernon Trail as the pilot project is because it has a clear line of delineation where the PCIDs’ boundary in Fulton County starts and stops. Barfield Road is the farthest west it goes on Mount Vernon Highway.

Other possible projects in Sandy Springs the PCIDs might consider funding include (the numbers match the map accompanying this article):

The PCIDs told Sandy Springs it was considered four more projects once the pilot project moves forward. Each project is within the organization’s boundaries, marked with the dotted line on the map. (PCIDs)

1.      A trail project to connect the Medical Center MARTA Station to Peachtree-Dunwoody Road and Lake Hearn Drive. at a cost of $1 million to the Perimeter CID and $3.8 million for MARTA. 

2.      Adding a second left-turn lane from northbound Peachtree-Dunwoody Road to westbound Crestline Parkway. Perimeter CID cost: $1.6 million.

3.      Adding a second left-turn lane from northbound Glenridge Connector to westbound Johnson Ferry Road. Perimeter CID estimated cost: $410,000.

4.      Hammond Drive at Ga. 400, extending the westbound right-turn lane on Hammond Drive to northbound Ga. 400. “This would be basically to create more stacking in the entrance ramp to go onto Ga. 400 northbound,” Hanlon said. Perimeter CID cost: $1.3 million.

Bob Pepalis covers Sandy Springs for Rough Draft Atlanta and Reporter Newspapers.