A new look could be in Sandy Springs’ future as the city plans for development and developers improve their properties.
With goals of creating a “town center,” encouraging mixed-use developments and making the Roswell Road corridor more attractive, city officials are pleased with progress being made under a comprehensive land use plan adopted almost a year ago, said Nancy Leathers, director of community development.
Several existing developments have rejuvenated dated facades while some new projects have come to the area, she said.
Roswell Road stakeholders such as Sandy Springs Plaza Associates that owns the Sandy Springs Plaza, and the Simpson Organization, owner of the Hammond Springs shopping center, both based in Atlanta, appreciate the city’s attention to the heavily populated area. Both property owners have updated the look of their shopping complexes. The plaza updated ’50s-era facades with a fresher and brighter look. At Hammond Springs there is new landscaping and even a new shape to the complex as parking was restructured and buildings were added.
“We’re trying to recognize and incorporate some of the city’s planning requirements in what we are doing,” said Chris Hardy, senior vice president of the Simpson Organization. “I think what they’re doing is breaking the sameness of the area with all of the one-story buildings and trying to encourage more pedestrian and local access.”
Jan Saperstein, a managing partner with Sandy Springs Plaza Associates, said he is glad to see other businesses sprucing up properties along the street. A new look could lead to new business, he said.
While many businesses and commercial property owners seem to wholeheartedly support the city’s efforts, some of the neighbors are cautiously optimistic. Trisha Thompson, zoning chairwoman for the Sandy Springs Council of Neighborhoods, said she hopes the city can stick with the intent of the land use plan.
“I’ve seen a project or two that has disappointed me and that makes me wonder, ‘How does this fit in with the vision?’ ” she said. “We’d like to see a design plan, something concrete. We don’t want a disparate jumble of second-rate development.”
Labels: city plans, Georgia, housing and urban development, sandy springs
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Brian Vanderhoff @ 9:37 AM
