It’s fahhhll

Friday, Sep. 25 — Fall finally made its entrance this week – did you feel the collective sigh of relief? 

☀️ The pleasant weather will continue this weekend with sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 70s.

🪕 The Blue Stone Arts & Music Festival takes place this weekend at City Springs, featuring live music, an artist market, and a kid zone.

🐶 People and pups are invited to participate in the Blue Stone 5K-9 on Saturday, Sept. 26.


🌲 EcoAddendum at the Lost Corner Preserve needs help with forest restoration on Sunday, Sept. 27. Volunteers will restore natural areas in parks and greenspaces.

🧁 The Sandy Springs Night Market returns Thursday, Oct. 1 at the River Springs Shopping Center on Roswell Road.

⭐️ Rough Draft is looking for its next “20 under 20.” If you know of an extraordinary young person, nominate them here.

Photo by Sandy Springs Police Facebook

SANDY SPRINGS SNAPSHOT: Students from Springmont School got to play detective this week solving a crime by examining the scene and gathering clues with Sandy Springs police. You may be looking at some future members of the SSPD!

🥱 Don’t be surprised if you catch friends and colleagues yawning today. Between watching the Atlanta Falcons beat the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football and Taylor Swift dropping four new songs at midnight, it was a late night for many. 

Thanks for reading!
The Rough Draft team

Photo by Hayden Sumlin

Sandy Springs’ missing middle housing

🏠 Sandy Springs residents generally agree that the city needs more diverse housing options, but the community has different ideas for the missing middle’s location, density, and occupancy status.

During three Sandy Springs meetings Sept. 15-16, the city’s lead consultant developing “The Next Chapter” comprehensive plan shared community feedback on city planning goals with elected officials and citizen-led committees.

Ronda Smith, chair of the plan’s advisory committee and president of the Sandy Springs Council of Neighborhoods, said she has some lingering questions about city priorities regarding land use. “The question is ‘the where’ of where [a greater range of single-unit residential housing types] happens in the future,” Smith said. “The policies will drive where that’s allowed.”

🗞️ Read Hayden’s full report on where “The Next Chapter” stands.

Meet the people at the Heart of Perimeter’s connectivity
SPONSORED BY PERIMETER COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS

🚲 From school drop-offs by cargo bike to a stress-free train ride to work, Veronica Lopez-Delgado and Doug Nagy are making the most of Perimeter’s growing transportation options. For Veronica, more bike lanes and trails help make one-car living possible. For Doug, MARTA and a workplace shuttle connect his Midtown home to his Perimeter office.

📹 Watch their stories in the Heart of Perimeter video series and see how connectivity is making everyday life easier. 

Photo by Google Maps

Sandy Springs police arrest arson suspect

🚨 The Sandy Springs Police Department announced the arrest of a suspect Tuesday, Sept. 22, just hours into a continuing investigation into alleged arson activity at the Sonic on Roswell Road.

During the investigation, detectives found that business funds were taken and that the building’s security cameras had been disabled before the fire, according to the SSPD’s announcement.

Initially, the Sandy Springs Fire Department responded to a fire at 5903 Roswell Road just before 5 a.m.

🫆 Read more about the incident.

Photo by Community Assistance Center

Sandy Springs career expo takes place next week

💼 The Community Assistance Center is bringing together employers and jobseekers on Tuesday, Sept. 29, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., for the Sandy Springs Connects! Career Expo at City Springs.

Caitlin Webb, manager of the Central Perimeter-based nonprofit’s Empowerment Center, said finding the right job is more than submitting a resume online.

“It is about having the opportunity to talk with an employer, ask questions, make a connection and see whether the organization is the right fit,” Webb said. “The Career Expo is large enough to connect with a wide variety of employers located in the northern Perimeter area but small enough that qualified applicants and participants can spend time discussing questions around current and future opportunities, career paths and company benefits.”

🖇️ Learn more about the career expo.

What’s doin’ around Sandy Springs
🎭 Sept. 25-27: Les Misérables at Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center

🎾 Sept. 26: Special Pops Tennis at Sandy Springs Tennis Center

🧑🏼‍🎤 Sept. 26: 80’s & 90’s Throwback Party at North River Tavern

🌝 Sept. 26: Atlanta Astronomy Club at Lost Corner Preserve

💰 Sept. 28:Minimizing Taxes in Retirement at City Hall

The Sports Section

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SCORE ATLANTA
🏈 FOOTBALL

  • Holy Innocents’ (5-0): Friday vs. Temple (2-2)
  • Lovett (4-0): Friday @ KIPP Atlanta Collegiate (3-1)
  • Mt. Vernon (3-2): Friday @ King’s Ridge Christian (3-1)
  • North Springs (1-3): Friday @ Westminster (1-3)
  • Pace Academy (0-4): Friday vs. Stephenson (3-1)
  • Riverwood (0-4): Oct. 2 @ Alpharetta (1-3)
  • Westminster (1-3): Friday vs. North Springs (1-3)

 🥎 SOFTBALL

  • Holy Innocents’ (6-8): Friday @ Whitefield Academy (15-4); Saturday vs. St. Francis (9-8); Saturday vs. St. Pius X (12-9); Monday vs. Providence Christian Academy (13-7)
  • Lovett (4-10): Tuesday @ Temple (6-14)
  • Mt. Vernon (14-4): Saturday @ Walton (11-7); Saturday @ Lassiter (16-4); Monday @ Whitefield Academy (15-4)
  • North Springs (5-13): Monday vs. Stephenson (9-5); Tuesday @ Pace Academy (13-4); Wednesday @ Centennial (10-13)
  • Pace Academy (13-4): Tuesday vs. North Springs (5-13)
  • Riverwood (12-4-1): Monday @ Marist (16-6); Tuesday vs. Johns Creek (17-3)
  • Westminster (10-8): Saturday @ Pope (16-6); Saturday vs. Denmark (8-13); Tuesday vs. Greater Atlanta Christian (5-11)

🏐  VOLLEYBALL

  • Holy Innocents’ (19-8): Tuesday vs. Therrell (18-4)
  • Lovett (19-6): Saturday @ Central-Carrollton (22-6); Saturday vs. Lee County (17-15); Saturday vs. Alpharetta (16-9); Saturday @ Pope (20-5)
  • Mt. Vernon (14-16): Friday vs. Legion Collegiate Academy, S.C. (17-4); Friday vs. Hilton Head Island, S.C. (8-9-2); Saturday vs. Savannah Country Day (13-12)
  • North Springs (5-14): Monday @ Osborne (13-16); Tuesday vs. Stephenson (23-3); Tuesday vs. Clarkston (12-16)
  • Pace Academy (10-11): Tuesday @ Douglass (2-17)
  • Riverwood (25-8): Tuesday @ Alpharetta (16-9)
  • Westminster (25-5): Saturday vs. Atlanta International (11-10); Saturday vs. Druid Hills (14-14-2); Saturday vs. Whitefield Academy (11-14)

School records are as of Thursday, Sept. 24

This report was compiled and written by Rough Draft Atlanta's staff.