The Sandy Springs Council of Neighborhoods introduced attendees of its March 31 annual meeting to the significance of the 2027 Comprehensive Plan process, one of the most direct forms of civic participation available to residents.
Georgia cities are required by state law to update their land-use plans every five years to remain eligible for state and federal grants. While the process does not change zoning, it does allow cities to prioritize what they want future development to look like.
Why comp plans matter
Sandy Springs updated its 2017 Next Ten Comprehensive Plan in fall 2022. The process creates the city’s long-range visions, aligning with changing demographic or economic conditions.
Council of Neighborhoods President Ronda Smith said she was a new member of the citywide advocacy group during the last rewrite in 2017.
“I found out a lot about what the city is about and what our residents want,” Smith said. “It was very enlightening, and I think we adopted a great plan.”
Smith said holding elected officials accountable to the community’s long-range vision is crucial. The process will conclude in June 2027 with the plan’s submission to the state community affairs department, which will finalize it.
“The plan itself is the most important city-produced policy document,” Smith said. “It’s about what our residents value, what we want to maintain, and what they want to pass on to the next generation.”
The Sandy Springs Council of Neighborhoods is a citywide group of homeowner associations run by volunteers who work with elected officials, businesses, and community organizations “to keep Sandy Springs neighborhoods strong and vibrant.”
Traffic and redevelopment concerns
About 20 residents attended the March 31 annual meeting at the Abernathy Arts Center. Four council members attended the March 31 meeting, including Melody Kelley (District 2), Melissa Mular (District 3), Mary Ford District 5), and Andrew Chinsky (District 6).
Smith said one of the Council of Neighborhoods’ priorities is to ensure that commercial property vitality is addressed, which supports the city’s tax base and service delivery.
Council Member Melody Kelley said the city is leaning toward using tax abatements, rather than a special tax district, to redevelop the North River shopping center along Roswell Road in the city’s North End.
“The numbers didn’t look good for a tax allocation district as an incentive,” Kelley said. “I don’t have any information on it, but it’s being worked on. That math wasn’t mathing for [TADs], unfortunately.”
Residents at the meeting said they wanted to know how the city can prevent neighborhood through traffic, redevelop blighted properties along Roswell Road, and encourage the construction of owner-occupied housing.
The city council approved a $1.15 million contract with Rhodeside & Harwell, TSW Design, and KB Advisory on March 17 for the creation of the 2027 Comprehensive Plan and an update to the recreation and park plan.
Dozens of input sessions and updates are scheduled through next summer during community events, council meetings, and pop-ups.
Land use and housing
While the development community is bringing new housing types to Sandy Springs, like townhomes along Mystic Drive and luxury apartments near City Springs, the city’s 2017 development code rewrite has removed some options.
Since 2017, the median home value in Sandy Springs has increased from less than $400,000 to more than $650,000, according to Zillow Home Value Index data.
Many first-time homebuyers are priced out of the market amid a supply shortage and the high cost of existing products. Meanwhile, older homeowners are having trouble selling their homes.
Sandy Springs resident Cheryl Barlow said of the 35 homeowners on her street, about 30 are open nesters looking to sell their homes and downsize. Many of them want to relocate inside the city, she said.
“They always say, ‘I have nowhere to go,'” Barlow said. “I know land expense is an issue, but I just feel like there are opportunities for different kinds of housing that would help.”
After the meeting, Barlow said there is a lack of “downsizing” options and housing for ages 55 and up in Sandy Springs. She also said the city has zoning available for “cottage court zoning,” which would permit higher-density, smaller-lot cluster homes.
As an example of how the city’s land-use plan can affect neighborhoods, Smith said an applicant is seeking to rezone 1265-1369 Spalding Drive to allow construction of a 21-lot subdivision, where five homes sit today.
“The idea to protect single-family neighborhoods from upzoning has been a community concern since the inception of Sandy Springs, and long before that, under Fulton County,” Smith said. “In our built-out environment, it’s very challenging.”
