The Sandy Springs City Council voted unanimously to proceed with land sale negotiations for 5.5 acres of municipal property slated to be redeveloped into City Springs 2.0, just south of Mount Vernon Highway.
The Oct. 20 resolution is a project milestone, advancing plans for the next phase of the city’s downtown district. Elected officials discussed the project publicly for the first time after months of closed-door executive session conversations, proposal reviews, and debates over what Sandy Springs’ city center will look like in the 2030s.
Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul, who teased the selection of a new development partner during his September State of the City address, said the public will have the next few months to provide feedback on the project.
“City Springs has fundamentally transformed the way our community comes together, creating a downtown that reflects the character and aspirations of Sandy Springs,” Paul said in the city’s official announcement. “This is an opportunity to build on that foundation, bringing new energy, amenities, and connections to the heart of our city.”
What’s proposed?
Trammell Crow Company, selected as the city’s lead developer, is currently proposing to close a section of Blue Stone Road and construct a multi-family complex with ground-floor retail. The site plan also includes a boutique hotel and a 28-home, single-family subdivision abutting the Heritage Green and Williams-Payne House.
The city began a competitive solicitation process in June, eventually selecting Trammell Crow’s residential subsidiary, High Street Residential, to lead the master-planned development. Third & Urban, DSM Real Estate Partners, and Hedgewood Homes are assisting TCC with the City Springs 2.0 project.
Paul said council members compromised on some of their priorities to move forward with City Springs 2.0. Elected officials are considering permanently closing a section of Bluestone Road between Mount Vernon Highway and Hilderbrand Drive.
“When it got down to making decisions, they may not have agreed about everything that was there, but they put their reservations behind to get behind the entire project,” Paul said. “That showed a level of maturity and adulthood that’s rare in the political world today.”
Paul said he hopes that Hedgewood Home’s playbook spreads in Sandy Springs. He said the local referendum on city redevelopment powers is intended to help replace “aging” and “auto-centric” shopping centers with owner-occupied housing.
Project timing
Chris Burnett, the city’s economic development director, said Sandy Springs will pursue necessary rezoning(s) and advance negotiations on the property’s eventual sale and repurposing this winter. Additional design, financial, and contractual details have not been shared publicly, and will be developed as the project progresses.
“After issuance of permits, perhaps development and site work could begin as early as the fall of 2027,” Burnett said. “Anticipated construction by Trammell Crow on parcels A and B is approximately 24 months, so delivery — and conceptually a ribbon-cutting — could be done by the 3rd to 4th quarter of 2029 … we believe the whole project should be culminated and complete by 2030.”
Burnett said the developers are slated to close on the properties, pending rezonings, sometime next summer. He said the city development authority may offer property tax abatements as a financial incentive in the yet-to-be-finalized deal.
Sandy Springs has selected a master developer for the expansion of the downtown City Springs district for the second time since approval of the 2022 master plan. Work on redeveloping a walkable downtown with Regent Partners and Morris & Fellows fizzled out in 2024.
“In the spring of this year, council believed that economic conditions supported taking the project back to the market and instructed staff to conduct a solicitation of interest from many of the top development firms in metro Atlanta, which staff began in early June,” a city memo said.
Another development partner
TCC and Third & Urban are currently building the nearby mixed-use development Hillcrest, with apartments, townhomes, and retail west of Sandy Springs Circle on former church property.
Scott Kirchhoff, principal with TCC in Atlanta, said a major selling point of the Hillcrest site was its proximity to City Springs and the tremendous placemaking that has been created by the city through that development.
“Today we’re honored to be playing a role in the next chapter of City Springs,” Kirchhoff said. “We look forward to building on the foundation that has made City Springs such a success and are grateful to the City of Sandy Springs for its trust in our team.”
Elected officials addressed transparency concerns about the closed-door real estate discussions, citing public input opportunities during upcoming rezonings this winter. With contract negotiations ongoing, financial impacts are unknown.
Council Member Andrew Chinsky said he thinks he will remember his work on the city’s expansion of its walkable downtown for the rest of his life.
“This is the first time that we are able to speak about it publicly,” Chinsky said. “Now that we’re past this initial phase, I look forward to hearing more input from the public on the project … we can always make this better.”
