Raleigh City Council Member Mitchell Silver said he saw Sandy Springs focusing on the “right things” before delivering the keynote address at the Sandy Springs Conservancy’s Nov. 9 Thought Leaders Dinner.
Silver, an award-winning urban planner and former commissioner of the New York City Parks Department, said his tour of Sandy Springs showed a city investing in pedestrian connectivity, recreational facilities, and new housing.
“I was quite impressed,” Silver told a packed room at City Springs. “You have a great city. I see the little clues, and so I’m very excited about the plans that you have before you.”
Growth in Sandy Springs
During a sit-down interview before the address, Silver said that, while driving around the city, he got the impression that Sandy Springs cares a lot about its corridors. He mentioned Mount Vernon Highway.
“Very nicely designed. Some were boulevards with medians; some had very wide paths,” Silver said. “Looking at little things, sidewalks, bike lanes … Sandy Springs seems to be more forward-thinking and proactive about making the city the best it can be.”
Despite its history as unincorporated Fulton County and its proximity to major highways, Silver said Sandy Springs is well-planned. He cited several multifamily, mixed-use redevelopments in commercial areas and the blend of urban and natural environments.
“The texture of Sandy Springs is very different than other places I went to in Atlanta,” Silver said, citing suburbs east and west of the capital city. “The feel here was very different. Some similarities to Raleigh when I went to Perimeter Center.”
During his speech, Silver said he thinks it’s “critically important” that Sandy Springs is working on its parks plan alongside the new comprehensive plan.
“You cannot have a livable city without parks, public spaces, and trails,” he said. “I have not been to a city that does not fit that bill … in the 21st century … parks are not just greenspaces for nice amenities; they are public spaces for people.”
Urban planning tradeoffs
During the interview, Silver said there are deal-making and plan-making cities. When Raleigh faced an expected 170,000 new residents about two decades ago, he said the city chose about 10 development nodes where growth would be concentrated.
“As a city, you’re managing the value of land by how you zone it and what you allow,” Silver said. “Because of the mixed-use centers, your taxes stay low. People don’t see it that way. They see the burden of higher density, not the value.”
Raleigh is the planned capital city of North Carolina and a member of the Research Triangle with Durham and Chapel Hill.
Silver said his city deviated from its concentrated-development textbook by allowing medium-density multifamily on most properties in single-family neighborhoods. Adding density to traditionally single-family neighborhoods sparked backlash.
Silver said missing middle housing, often more affordable, works better in the buffer between neighborhoods and commercial areas.
“If interest rates can drop, and people can accept new housing types, townhomes, smaller homes, missing middle, multifamily, I think they’ll be pleased with how we’re able to find our forward,” Silver said.
Local elected officials
During a Q&A period, State senator-elect Kevin Abel (D-District 14) asked Silver about the proposed Oakline project in Raleigh, connecting downtown to a nearby park via a greenway elevated above the existing roadway.
Silver said that, with new development in the district, Raleigh is pursuing a public-private partnership that secures $10-$20 million for a more than $70 million project. The project provides tree canopy with pedestrian and cyclist
The Sandy Springs Conservancy is celebrating its 25th anniversary; it was founded a few years before the city incorporated. The nonprofit invited Silver to share his expertise and help celebrate the milestone.
Executive Director John Maximuk and Board Chair Jack Misiura highlighted the nonprofit’s more than $1 million in investments across the city, including paved trails around Morgan Falls Overlook Park and expansion of the Abernathy Greenway.
Mayor Rusty Paul said the conservancy was the city’s parks department before 2005, while thanking them for contributing to several projects, like the Springway Trail Plan.
“This is what makes Sandy Springs so unique [and] one of the hottest places to move to in the metro Atlanta area,” Paul said. “People are literally coming here because they see our vision … What we have to do is have the courage to implement the vision.”
