Key points:
• An advisory committee guiding the creation of Sandy Springs’ new comprehensive plan is modifying community goals to match resident feedback collected earlier this year.
• Topics discussed include continued investment in paths and walkability, protection of neighborhood character, housing affordability, and a potential parks bond.
• The city has open houses in mid-August for residents to give input on what they want to see prioritized in next year’s Sandy Springs Next Chapter Comprehensive Plan and Recreation and Parks Master Plan.
The Sandy Springs Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee met for a second time on July 20, modifying some goals in the 2017 plan and identifying new priorities, like a community recreation center and increased path connectivity.
Sukirti Ghosh, an urban designer and principal with Rhodeside & Harwell who is leading the city’s consultant team, said hundreds of comments from citizens have been documented at community events in recent months.
“Housing affordability is coming out as one of the top concerns and a desire to provide affordable housing options for young families, empty nesters, seniors, and those looking to downsize,” Ghosh said. “Opinions on multifamily are very mixed … some would like to see more apartments and others feel like there are too many already.”
Long-term planning a decade later
Sandy Springs officials are calling the creation of its 2027 comprehensive plan and recreation and parks master plan “The Next Chapter.”
Neighborhood preservation emerged as the community’s top priority about a decade ago during the creation of the 2017 NEXT TEN plan. Based on preliminary feedback, protecting residential zoning and lot sizes remains a top priority but is ranked near walkability, tree canopy, balanced growth, and affordability.
Sandy Springs Council of Neighborhoods President Ronda Smith, chairing the advisory committee, said the fabric of her neighborhood hasn’t changed much in the last three decades. Residential neighborhoods make up about three-quarters of the city.
“Mayor Paul said this at one point in a very public way: that you expect your neighborhood to look the same when you leave as it did when you arrived,” Smith said. “In my case, it’s 29 years later. The size of the lots didn’t change. I think that from a character perspective it was and is still very important to folks in terms of not seeing more density come into the core of neighborhoods.”
Smith said some of the community’s priorities can contradict, like tree canopy and paths, which often require one to be sacrificed. She said the city is already planning for and funding what residents have asked for, and advocated for “hyperlocal transit.”
Related stories:
• Sandy Springs begins “The Next Chapter” plan update
• Sandy Springs appoints advisory committee for comprehensive plan update
Parks and planning collide
Other themes included increasing access to parks and neighboring communities via paths, wresting control of public schools from Fulton County, and getting more involved in public transit and mobility amid concerns with MARTA.
Council Member Melody Kelley, Ph.D., the advisory committee’s only elected official, said she thinks cities are competing more than ever for developers’ investments and new residents.
“Just city to city in attracting and sustaining …,” Kelley said. “I mean, everywhere is popping … they all have city centers and greenspaces.”
Ghosh said there is also broad support for revitalizing aging commercial properties and improving the appearance of Roswell Road, which has some vacant parcels.
“We have heard that there is a need for more neighborhood-serving retail,” he said. “Concerns about traffic congestion, especially along Roswell Road, we have heard that many times. There is a desire for walkability and for better regional connectivity.”
While the Sandy Springs community is split (and frustrated) over density, just about every resident polled by consultants so far wants to prioritize recreation and parks.
The city has 22 miles of shoreline along the Chattahoochee River, and metro Atlantans want more opportunities for recreation on the water. Also, respondents said facilities like Hammond Park and the Sandy Springs Racquet Center need some upgrades.
Future bond referendum for parks
Council members and staff are skittish about promoting a tax increase to cover a citywide park expansion. Dunwoody voters shot down the city’s parks and paths bond three years ago.
Sandy Springs voters won’t see a parks bond referendum on ballots this fall, but elected officials have discussed holding one before the end of the decade.
Based on feedback during June’s kickoff, Sandy Springs homeowners are significantly in favor of adding a new line item to their property tax bills, estimated to run the average homeowner about $200 a year. Only 13% of respondents at the first public meeting said they would not support a tax increase to acquire new park land and improve existing recreation areas.
Upcoming community workshops for “The Next Chapter:”
• Monday, Aug. 17 from 6-8 p.m. at the Church of the Redeemer, 5185 Peachtree Dunwoody Road
• Thursday, Aug. 20 from 6-8 p.m. at Sandy Springs Police Headquarters, 620 Morgan Falls Road
