Sandy Springs
Incorporated: 2005
2014 population: 101,908
Land area: 37.6 square miles
Median household income: $63,134
Persons below poverty level: 12.4 percent
Persons age 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree: 57.8 percent
SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau Quick Facts
Sandy Springs has forged a reputation for maintaining a small government and privatizing services, a model imitated by many of the new metro Atlanta cities sprouting in the region’s vast suburbs.
But, as the north Fulton County city of 102,000 enters its second decade of existence, it has a whopper of big government project in the works. It’s borrowing $160 million to create a downtown from scratch out of the formless strip malls and gridlocked streets along Roswell Road near I-285.
The downtown development – dubbed City Springs – represents a major shift for a community that has prided itself on bare-bones government.
Sandy Springs officials envisioned a walkable business district, with government investment serving as the catalyst. The core of the project is a 15-acre government, commercial and residential center.
Some residents marvel at the scale of the project and hope it won’t adversely affect existing neighborhoods.
“Hopefully, they do a good job of it,” said Doug Falciglia, treasurer of the Sandy Springs Council of Neighborhoods.
Mayor Rusty Paul said its big investment will pay off in private development that will transform Sandy Springs for the better.
“If you’re not willing to invest in yourself, you can’t expect the private sector to invest in you,” Paul said.
Sandy Springs incorporated in 2005 in part as a reaction to the hodgepodge of development encroaching on what was for decades a rural enclave. It’s become a community where strip malls and office buildings bump up against apartment complexes and leafy neighborhoods with expensive homes.
Sandy Springs’ birth touched off a boom in new metro Atlanta cities that continues today. It also inspired some of those new cities by leaning heavily on private businesses to deliver services, while keeping government bureaucracy to a minimum.
That thrifty approach continued as the city made plans to create a new city center on the site of an old Target store. It set aside millions of dollars over the years to buy and develop property. But Paul said the scale of the development requires a new approach.
The City Council recently agreed to borrow up to $222.7 million to pay for the public investment, though the city expects to borrow only about $160 million. It’s the first bond issue in the city’s brief history.
“It’s kind of like getting your first mortgage,” Paul said. “You want to make sure you made all the financial calculations and you’re not strapping the community with something that’s forcing us to cut services.”
Paul is confident that won’t happen. The debt payments are projected to be less than the amount Sandy Springs set aside to prepare for the project. Last week, Moody’s Investors Service, a credit rating agency, gave the city its highest rating – Aaa – held by only 192 U.S. cities.
Still, some residents are leery. Falciglia said the city center development could benefit existing single-family neighborhoods by bringing a host of new amenities within walking distance. But he’s also concerned that hundreds of new apartments are planned for the area.
“It’s almost like they’re importing people to use this (city center),” he said.
Paul said those apartments will replace older units and draw empty-nesters and millennials interested in the kind of lifestyle the business district will provide.
Falciglia said he’s hoping for the best.
Sandy Springs isn't alone. Cities like Alpharetta and Johns Creek also are planning new downtowns. Johns Creek's proposed 728-acre central business district would rival the core of Midtown Atlanta and triple the size of downtown Charlotte, N.C.
Many Sandy Springs residents support idea of a downtown.
“I’m definitely for it,” said Robert Brown, a former mayoral candidate who owns property in the area. “I think it’s a good thing for the City of Sandy Springs.”
Paul said the city will soon announce some of the retailers that will build stores in the city center. He hopes the area will be open for business by the end of 2017.
In the meantime, he said the city’s investment is already paying off. Private development projects are under way, including the One City Walk development at the corner of Roswell Road and Hammond Drive. That includes 203 apartments and 8,000 square feet of retail space.
“We’re putting up what, for Sandy Springs, is a significant amount of money,” Paul said. “But there’s probably five times as much private sector development going on in that area.”
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