Key points:
• Sandy Springs officials are prioritizing walkability and connectivity by increasing transportation funding for sidewalk and sidepath projects around the city. Council members cite constituent demand.
• Fulton County voters will decide whether to renew the 0.75% sales tax for transportation (TSPLOST) this November.
• The Sandy Springs City Council increased the city’s 2026 TSPLOST budget for sidewalks to $16 million. Most of the city’s other capital projects also involve sidewalks or paths.
Sandy Springs council members have spent the first half of the year looking for ways to increase walkability and connectivity by accelerating path, sidewalk, and trail projects.
During their June 2 meeting, officials pitched ways the city can accelerate the construction of sidewalks and paths through right-of-way coordination, neighborhood consensus, and staffing.
How Sandy Springs builds sidewalks
Since 2014, Sandy Springs has spent more than $54 million on building sidewalks, paths, and trails.
Available funding increased after 2016 with the passage of the first countywide referendum, which supports transportation improvements through a 0.75% sales tax. Fulton County voters renewed TSPLOST in 2021, and it is on the ballot again for extension in November.
Some completed projects include the Brandon Mill Road sidewalk, Dunwoody Club Drive sidewalk, Interstate North Parkway sidepath, Spalding Drive sidewalk widening, and Springway Trail 2A at Orkin Lake in Morgan Falls.
Public Works Director Marty Martin explained the difference in the city’s classification of walking paths as sidewalks, sidepaths, or trails. He said TSPLOST funding has been predictable, allowing projects to be budgeted for accurately.
Sidepaths are wider sidewalks, typically 8 to 12 feet across, for pedestrians and cyclists. Sidewalks are 6 feet wide and are primarily built along residential corridors.
Martin said the city requires commercial developers to construct sidewalks or paths, but the city’s 2015 code changes removed the requirement for homebuilders.
“There was a time when teardown rebuilds on single-family [homes], for instance, were required to build a sidewalk,” Martin said. “Pretty much every project that we touch, with the rare exception … will generally have a sidewalk or a sidepath component … they’re named differently, but when it’s all said and done, there’s a major facility provided.”
Council advocates for more walkability
Mayor Rusty Paul said the city differentiates between the two classifications because the Georgia Department of Transportation considers sidepaths to be qualified infrastructure, while sidewalks are not. Sandy Springs has received tens of millions from the Atlanta Regional Commission.
Federal requirements are similar. It’s why cities seeking state/federal funding for walkability projects, like Dunwoody, must build 10-foot-wide sidepaths.
At the request of elected officials, staff increased the 2026 TSPLOST budget for sidewalks from $12 million to $16 million, with another $4 million as a second-tier item.
Council Member Andrew Chinsky, who began representing District 6 this year, said he wants to see priority given to sidewalks on streets without them on either side, a potential sidewalk fund for residential developers, and more public works staff.
“We have a lot of money left to fund a lot of different trails around the city,” Chinsky said. “I would love to consider ways that either staff or technology or something can be used to help accelerate this program, because it’s a huge theme that I hear from all parts of the city. Again, not something to address tonight.”
Later, the city held its first public hearing for the 2027 budget.
Lake Forrest to Chastain Park moves ahead
Later during the regular meeting, council members approved $271,700 for phase two of the Lake Forrest Drive sidewalk project from Mount Paran Road to the city of Atlanta and Chastain Park.
The city is paying Georgia Power to relocate about 10 utility poles on the west side of the roadway. The public utility is contributing 10% and will help coordinate utility relocation.
Chinsky, who represents the area in south Sandy Springs, said the question he gets asked the most is when construction will get underway.
Martin said the last right-of-way needed for the project will be acquired in the next two weeks after a new homeowner closes on the property. The construction bid will also go out in the next two weeks, setting up construction this year.
Smaller projects, like “gap fills” with a price tag under $200,000, are called “simple sidewalks” and can be completed in about 30 days. The recreation and parks department handles trails, common throughout parks and natural areas.
