Here is a fun fact: If you turn 21 this year, you were only one year old when we became a city.

How we have changed in these 20 years. The first years of Sandy Springs’ existence were spent “taking care of business.” This included setting up a city of 88,000, fixing and repairing basic utilities that had been neglected for years, standing up a top-notch police and fire department, and deciding who and what we wanted to be when we grew up.

For the past 10 years or so, we have created a city center and put community amenities into place for the citizens, including city hall, the PAC, and the green just outside. Fun events like parades and festivals have also defined these recent years.

Now, as we turn 20 years of age comes the future. How do we:

■ best manage but encourage smart growth and development;

■ expand the City Springs district;

■ maintain our excellent credit rating;

■ bring businesses and restaurants and citizens to our city, while continuing to make Sandy Springs a wonderful place to live.

In January, the new year starts with the addition of three new council members, each bringing valuable ideas that will be considered over the months and years ahead.

Next year we will also begin our 10-year review of the comprehensive plan adopted in 2017. I pledge to listen to all as we continue to make Sandy Springs a wonderful place to live, work and raise a family.

Pickup order leads to desire to serve

In 2016, I accepted my dream job, packed my daughter and our guinea pig into a U-Haul, and headed toward a new beginning. That journey brought us to a modest two-bedroom apartment in the North End, just within my budget, but with a pool that made it feel like home.

Sometime after settling in, I stopped at a small Chinese restaurant off Roswell Road. While waiting on an order of egg foo young, I picked up a magazine from a stack near the register: the Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber 2017 Guidebook. As I flipped through what felt like a civic manual for my new city, something shifted. For at least a year, I understood intellectually that I resided in Sandy Springs. But at that moment, I wanted to live in Sandy Springs.

By the time I reached the page describing Leadership Sandy Springs, I knew I wanted to be involved. A few years later, I was featured as part of the Class of 2020, an experience that launched me into deeper service with organizations such as Sandy Springs Together, the Sandy Springs Education Force, and the Charter Review Commission. Today, I have the honor of serving as a city council representative, a role I hold with immense gratitude and pride.

I share this story because I know many residents have their own version of this journey. As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of our city, we honor the shared experiences and collective commitment that built Sandy Springs, including a single mom who walked in for egg foo young and walked out inspired to help shape its future.

Twenty Years of Progress — and a Clear Path Forward

When I moved to what is now Sandy Springs in 1999, I couldn’t believe that a community of 85,000 residents didn’t have its own local government. Coming from Pennsylvania, where cities and townships are locally governed, the idea that decisions for our neighborhoods were being made miles away made no sense. I made sure I wasn’t traveling for work that week so I could be home to vote for incorporation.

That vote was transformative. Instead of debating politics, every council since has stayed focused on what matters: solving problems, improving quality of life, and investing in our future. We inherited aging roads, neglected stormwater systems, and outdated zoning. In two decades, we have reversed that trajectory.

We have invested over $365 million in capital projects, $34 million in stormwater improvements, and $92 million through TSPLOST projects. Including the City Springs complex with the City Green and Performing Arts Center, the Police Headquarters and Municipal Court, two new fire stations, and the Fleet Maintenance Facility, our total infrastructure investment now exceeds $700 million—projects that simply would not have happened without incorporation.

With the foundation built, our next chapter is about elevating quality of life: more recreation and parks, reimagining aging commercial areas, expanding housing choices, and completing City Springs Phase II.

Public safety will always remain a top priority. When people feel safe, connected, and proud of where they live, a city thrives.

Sandy Springs is a wonderful place to call home—and we will keep it that way

The city’s future is with the people

For 20 years, Sandy Springs has been a story of a community determined to improve itself, often through sheer will, volunteerism, and a relentless belief in what is possible. When our city incorporated, it was because residents wanted more control over their future. That spirit is still here, and it is what has driven so many of the accomplishments we now take pride in: stronger public safety, improved parks, major infrastructure investments, and the creation of a vibrant civic center at City Springs.

Over the years, I have had the privilege of working closely with families, neighborhoods, schools, nonprofits, and countless residents who bring passion to every corner of our city. They are the heartbeat of Sandy Springs. Whether advocating for a new North Springs High School, improving recreational opportunities for our young people, or finding thoughtful ways to revitalize aging areas of our community, I have always believed that our greatest strength comes from engagement, from people rolling up their sleeves and working for something better.

Today, Sandy Springs stands at a crossroads. Our challenges are real, and so are the opportunities ahead. My hope is that we continue focusing on what makes a city thrive: safe streets, strong schools, transparent leadership, housing that supports families, and development that lifts our entire community.

No matter how the political winds shift, I remain grateful for the residents who make Sandy Springs what it is. This city’s future will always belong to the people who care enough to shape it.

Blessed to be part of the success

As I prepare for Thanksgiving with the family, I have to look back at my life in Sandy Springs. It started 38 years ago when I first met Eva Galambos and began working with her to form the city. The first 18 years was a time of lobbying, planning, and preparation. Forming a city was a new venture for both of us.

On day one, it’s like turning on a light switch – everything must be ready to provide for the residents. Fortunately, we had those years to get ideas ready and plans made. And, after that successful vote in July 2005, we were off and running.

These last 20 years that I’ve served on the council have been so rewarding since we all know how the city has blossomed. I tell people that Sandy Springs didn’t turn out as we expected – it turned out better than we could have hoped.

I feel blessed that I could have had a part in the success of Sandy Springs and witness its growth. As I retire and yield my seat to a younger generation of leadership, I am confident that the citizen-first direction of our city will continue. Everything we have planned and done has been to make the lives and futures of our residents better, and we should always continue that path.

Filled with opportunities for the next generation

When Sandy Springs was created 20 years ago, we began less as a naturally cohesive and logically defined city and more as a political and geographic boundary: 35 square miles of unincorporated Fulton County pressed between Atlanta and Roswell.

Our outer neighborhoods identified in very different ways: the south oriented toward Chastain and Buckhead; parts of the northeast/ panhandle gravitated toward Dunwoody; and the north end felt distant and often ignored. We were a collection of communities with shared concerns but lacking a shared identity.

Incorporation gave us the ability to address many governance-related concerns: local zoning decisions, consistent and first-rate public safety, thoughtful infrastructure planning and investment, and a more responsive and accountable municipal government that understood our day-to-day realities.

We also built something transformative: a true city center – City Hall, City Green, and the Performing Arts Center – places that didn’t exist before and now serve as the cultural, civic, and symbolic heart of Sandy Springs. And we established highly regarded police and fire departments that remain a deep source of pride and unity across every section of our city.

Two decades in, the challenges before us are more complex than those at our founding. Redevelopment, housing options for every stage of life, a declining schoolage population, the need to attract young families, and a rapidly changing regional landscape that will shape our future far more than the issues we confronted in 2005. And the recent election underscored something important: residents hold widely different views of where we are as a city and what work lies ahead.

The next 10 to 20 years will not be defined by what we built in our first 20, but by how we adapt. That requires widening the circle of engagement and involvement, bringing in younger and more diverse voices, elevating emerging community leaders, and creating more avenues for residents to help define what comes next.

If our first two decades proved anything, it’s that Sandy Springs can take control of its destiny. The task ahead is to grow into an even more connected community, filled with opportunity for every generation and welcoming to all who want to make Sandy Springs their home.

The post Current council members reminisce on 20 years of cityhood appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

For over a decade, I have poured my time and passion into improving North Springs and organizing the grassroots organization Citizens for a New North Springs High School alongside Cheryl Barlow, Betty Klein, Linda Trickey, and Sandra Jewell.

Together, we worked tirelessly, refusing to take no for an answer.  Our persistence finally paid off with the promise and groundbreaking of the beautiful new school that Sandy Springs deserves.

Now, we face a new battle as Fulton County Schools is considering closing Spalding Drive Elementary School due to low enrollment.

We must fight once again.

Declining enrollment and aging housing

We cannot afford to lose one of our city’s seven elementary schools and risk our children being redistricted to other schools. Redistricting does more than just disrupt our children’s activities and friendships. Research from the American Educational Research Journal shows that kids who are shuffled around schools have a lower rate of academic achievement.

As a Sandy Springs City Councilwoman, I believe the best strategy for increasing enrollment in our schools is to attract more young families to our city. One key area to focus on is revitalizing our housing options. By reassessing some of the aging apartment complexes in Sandy Springs, we can unlock opportunities for redevelopment. These properties could better serve our community by creating modern, affordable housing that would attract families. This influx of families would help fill our schools, ensuring our city’s future remains vibrant for future generations.

One example is The Reserve at Ridgewood, a sprawling old apartment complex on Roswell Road, just a few miles east of Spalding Drive Elementary. It sits on over 24 acres of land.

Atlanta News First reported that last summer, a couple’s bedroom ceiling collapsed on them while they were sleeping one night. A water leak at the property likely caused the collapse.

“From the first day we moved in, it’s been a nightmare,” the resident told the television ​​news station. “This is just not the place to live.”

Between July 2023 and May 2024, The Reserve at Ridgewood received $46,000 in fire department and code violations from the City Of Sandy Springs, including failure to correct electrical hazards, sprinkler system, and fire hydrant maintenance issues.

We are failing our residents by allowing these living situations in our city. 

The false promise of band-aid solutions

Now, a new plan for the property raises significant concerns for me. Pedcor Investments, an Indiana-based developer that owns The Reserve at Ridgewood, is seeking up to $55 million in federally tax-exempt revenue bonds from the Fulton County Development Authority, along with federal and state low-income housing tax credits, to rehabilitate 180 apartment units and reconstruct 6-fire damaged units into affordable housing. In addition, they have applied to the State of Georgia (DCA) for 98 units to accept housing choice vouchers. 

According to the proforma, only a fraction of the investment will be allocated to actual renovations and reconstruction, while the majority will go toward fees and acquisition—even though Pedcor already owns the property. Furthermore, the project’s mortgage will be insured by HUD for a 40-year term, yet the apartments are already 48 years old, built in 1980, and only lightly rehabilitated in 2021/22. To make matters worse, renovations aren’t expected to begin until 2026.

While I fully support the need for more diverse housing in Sandy Springs, especially affordable options for young families and seniors, I cannot support minimal investments in a 1980s-era complex with decades of deferred maintenance. With such a low level of investment, it’s unlikely this project will bring the meaningful improvements our community needs. Affordable housing does not have to mean low quality; several new construction projects in Georgia and across the country showcase well-designed, modern, and energy-efficient housing units. 

Meanwhile, According to apartment data tracker, ALN, Metro Atlanta is one of the most oversupplied apartment markets in the country and will remain so in the near term. Many of the apartment complexes in Sandy Springs are owned by out-of-state investors who care more about their investments than the city they are invested in. 

I analyzed six aging apartment complexes in Sandy Springs, consisting of 1,900 deteriorating units spread over 220 acres. Imagine the possibilities for this land; it could be transformed into new, engaged communities with quality apartments, single-family homes for middle-income families, and much-needed senior housing.

The Marietta success story

The plan I am proposing is not unrealistic. In fact, our neighboring cities have successfully pursued similar strategies to repurpose their outdated apartments. In Marietta, Mayor Steve Tumlin spearheaded an effort to redevelop a stretch of Franklin Road and demolish a glut of blighted properties. The school board supported this development, which it saw as an opportunity to improve school performance and graduation rates.

The project has been an economic development boon for Marietta. It attracted Atlanta United’s training center and the Home Depot Technology Center. From 2013 to 2022, the net tax digest value of the Franklin Gateway corridor grew 110%, to $772.1 million from $343.7 million, according to the Marietta Daily Journal. The citywide tax digest grew by 54%, the newspaper reported.

The MDJ said vacancy levels across all property types plummeted. The most dramatic drop was in office vacancy, which dropped from 44.2% to 5.4%.

Most importantly, crime incidents decreased from 565 in 2013 to 215 in 2022. 

The most critical step we can take to guarantee Sandy Springs’s most prosperous future is ensuring that our schools continue to welcome and educate our students and not close their doors. Our future depends on it.

Spalding Drive Elementary must stay open 

Rather than closing schools, we should focus on growing our student population by attracting new, young families to Sandy Springs. Transforming outdated apartment complexes into modern, high-quality housing will not only improve living conditions but will also help us maintain strong, thriving schools.

The post Sandy Springs at a crossroads: Saving our schools, revitalizing our community appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

Sandy Springs is considering using public funds to build a Cultural Arts Center to house the Anne Frank Exhibit and a Holocaust Memorial. I wholeheartedly support the mission of the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust and educational initiatives related to human rights and justice. Based on what has and has not been presented to the City Council, I cannot support using taxpayer dollars on a Cultural Arts Center as it is currently conceived.

I will outline the considerations underlying my perspective.

Financial stewardship of the City

I have a duty as an elected representative to be a responsible steward of public funds. With that duty in mind, the proposed project raises several financial issues that require further deliberation before undertaking a project of this consequence. As of today, I cannot determine what this project would cost the city. Greenlighting a project without knowing its cost is fiscally irresponsible, separate, and apart from the project’s merits.

We don’t have a feasibility study to guide the proposal’s economic impact. Such a study would allow us to project revenues and expenses, including costs for added security. All area synagogues maintain paid security due to threats of violence, and the project may require similar enhanced security measures.

The most recent data on the operation of the previous Anne Frank Exhibit at Parkside Shops indicated that 7,000 visitors per year attended the Exhibit. That number consists primarily of students. The Georgia Commission on the Holocaust asserts that the Anne Frank Museum, once completed, could expect 20,000 – 40,000 annual visitors. By context, the Houston Holocaust Museum, the fourth largest in the U.S. at 57,000 square feet (eight times the size of the proposed Sandy Springs Exhibit), has 163,000 annual visitors, of which 44,000 are students. It has total functional yearly expenses of $7.5 million per public record.

Sandy Springs currently operates the Performing Arts Center at a $2 million annual loss. Before undertaking another project for which we don’t have a study, the city should ensure that the Performing Arts Center stabilizes financially.

Without a feasibility and cost study, the City must refrain from making an unknown financial commitment until and unless we have more considered information.

What is best for the Anne Frank Museum?

The Anne Frank Museum is culturally and educationally important, and its ultimate location should befit its importance and provide it with the stature worthy of its relevance. Again, the Houston Holocaust Museum is instructive. The Houston Museum is located, fittingly, in the museum district in Midtown Houston, housed near the Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Natural Science.

Given that analogy, it’s reasonable to locate the Anne Frank Museum in one of the following locations: the Bremen Jewish Museum in Midtown, the Museum of History and Holocaust Education at Kennesaw State University, or adjacent to or within the Civil Rights Museum in downtown. To quote one constituent on the issue, the Museum “deserves a contextually correct placement.” The placement along Bluestone Road lacks physical prominence, at odds with the gravitas that the Museum should convey.

It is critical to point out that these other locations are not pipe dreams but completely realistic. Bremen has already stated that they would welcome the Anne Frank Museum exhibits. Kennesaw already has an existing museum that could house the collection. Asking what’s best for the Anne Frank Museum is the responsible approach. A more considered approach to identifying the proper home can be found in the New York Times article titled, U.S. Holocaust Museums Are Updating Content and Context.

As described in the article, sixteen Holocaust Museums are currently operating in the US. The Shoah Foundation, established by Steven Spielberg, acts as a partner and consultant to the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida, set to open in Orlando in 2024. The article further states that some of the sixteen museums are teaming with the Shoah Foundation and looking to it for direction.

The Georgia Commission on the Holocaust should consider such a consultative relationship with the Shoah Foundation so that the Anne Frank Museum can achieve its objectives.

What’s best for the City?

My constituents and other citizens of Sandy Springs have provided significant input. Their consensus is that they are not clamoring for the Anne Frank Museum but strongly prefer creating trails, parks, and a thriving downtown with restaurants, retail, and recreational amenities. The city also needs to confront pressing issues, including a lack of sidewalks, stormwater planning, and thoughtful development in the northern part of the city.

The city has pressing needs that are now unmet. Approving this museum without a feasibility study would be the wrong choice for Sandy Springs.

Voice your opinion

The Sandy Springs City Council is voting on the terms of the Cultural Center proposal at its next meeting on August 16 at 6:00 p.m. The public is invited and encouraged to attend. You can register in advance by filling out the public comment card or sign up at the meeting. The meeting is in the Studio Theatre at Sandy Springs City Hall (1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs, GA 30328).

The post Commentary: ‘I cannot support using taxpayer dollars on a Cultural Arts Center’ appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.