Budget for City Springs project increased by $6.5 million

Sandy Springs' city council increased the budget for City Springs to more than $229 million to cover costs for construction and more.

Sandy Springs' city council increased the budget for City Springs to more than $229 million to cover costs for construction and more.

Completing City Springs will cost a bit more than Sandy Springs anticipated.

At a city council meeting on Tuesday, the city approved a 3.5 percent increase in the budget for the project — or $6.5 million. The City Springs complex, a mixed-use development set to open in phases in 2018, is a public-private funded partnership.

With the increase, the budget is now more than $229 million. This is the first time the city has increased the budget for the project.

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“With any construction project, you plan for the unexpected, and we have done an excellent job of covering a majority of those items within the initial scope,” Sandy Springs mayor Rusty Paul said in a statement. “However, this is a complex design-build program and the increase necessary to see us through the project.”

Breaking down the increases, the budget amendment includes $2,955,000 for construction-related costs; $2,045,000 for architecture, landscaping and technology services; and $1,500,000 for contingency.

To fund the construction budget, Sandy Springs will use interest earned from the bond issued for City Springs, in addition to funds from the fiscal 2017 fund balance and money allocated for property acquisition.

Separate from the overall City Springs budget increase, the council also approved adding $1.2 million to the capital budget to cover the cost of furniture and lighting throughout City Springs. That will be paid for using money from the fund balance and the capital contingency funds.

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