Sandy Springs will hold a public input meeting on the Roswell Road transit, pedestrian and streetscape improvement project in both Spanish and English.
It’s set for 6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 25. The meeting will be held at 120 Northwood Drive, the location for several nonprofit organizations that serve the Latino community.
LaAmistad, Los Niños Primero, and the Community Assistance Center (CAC), have space in the Northwood Drive location where the meeting will be held. Solidarity Sandy Springs will join them in hosting the meeting.
“Getting to [a town hall meeting] to discuss the proposed changes to Roswell Road can be difficult for those that the changes are trying to help – pedestrians and those that take public transit. The City of Sandy Springs has solved that tricky situation by leveraging nonprofit partners, like CAC, that are already positioned within those communities,” Doris Pereira, director of Programs for CAC, said.
People who believe their voices are heard and their opinions matter are more likely to engage in the community, said Jennifer Barnes, CEO of Solidarity Sandy Springs.
“We are so fortunate to live in a city that has the foresight to involve the most directly affected citizens in their decision-making processes,” she said.
The project will use a MARTA Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grant and city funds to improve pedestrian access to transit and the sidewalk network along Roswell Road south of 285 to Wieuca Drive. It will add ADA curb ramps, bus stop shelters, lighting, brick pavers and landscaping to improve access to MARTA transit services.
An existing median will be extended from Peruca Place to I-285. A proposed signalized mid-block crossing will provide pedestrians a designated location to safely cross Roswell Road, the city said in a news release.
Los Niños Primero believes in the power of community and that hard work leads to a more prosperous city enabling all families to thrive, said Maritza Morelli, executive director of Los Niños Primero.
“We’re very happy to see the City of Sandy Springs include the Latino community in the urban planning that will take place on Roswell Road – a hub of human and economic activity for Sandy Springs,” she said.
“Having an equal and diverse representation of community input is critical to the planning process of every growing city. We’re proud to collaborate with the City of Sandy Springs and our other community partners to assist in uplifting the voices of the residents that make up this special city,” Cat McAfee, executive director of LaAmistad, said.
The city will host its first meeting on the Roswell Road improvements from 6-8 p.m. on Aug. 18 at Sandy Springs City Hall in the Studio Theatre at 1 Galambos Way.