Residents Have Their Say on City Center Project

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Over 100 Sandy Springs residents responded to the challenge to provide their feedback on how they’d like to see the City Center project look once it’s out of the ground.

The city on Wednesday hosted the event in the City Council Chambers, which included a presentation on the initiative. Residents were updated on the latest site plans for the project’s various components — including the 1,050-seat performing arts center — and examples of how similar projects were developed in other cities.

A wide variety of Sandy Springs residents took part in Wednesday’s meeting, ranging from high school students to senior citizens. Some residents even brought their children with them to the session.

Wednesday’s presentation can be viewed on the City Center project’s website. Residents who were unable to attend the meeting can also take the visual aesthetics survey here.

Mayor Rusty Paul said Wednesday’s open house was organized because the city is now at a point where it needs the feedback of its residents to determine the look of the project.

Paul added he hopes to see the city break ground on the project in either July or August 2015 followed by “full-blown construction.”

If all goes to plan, Paul said a soft opening could be held in fall 2017.

Goals for the project include the creation of a unique, vibrant, walkable city center, which incorporates mixed-use development introducing new dining, high-end residential living and amenity retail and entertainment options.

The project also will create an appropriate setting for a new civic/cultural center that will contain multiple uses such as city offices, meeting space and a performing arts facility. In addition, the city block will encompass a green space network to accommodate a variety of activities.

Citizens at the input session were asked to visit display boards and study several examples pertaining to green space, performing arts centers, theaters, office buildings, retail and residential uses.

Each citizen was provided with red and green stickers. Using those stickers, they were asked to rate each example by placing a green sticker on designs they liked and red ones on concepts they disliked.

One resident, Margaret Brown, said she felt like the city is “headed in the right direction.”

“They will have a real hard time (trying to) pleasing everyone, though,” she added.

While the city is headed in the right direction with the project, Brown added she hopes city leaders don’t rush into the development and construct something that would be out of character with the Sandy Springs “look.”

Trisha Thompson marveled at Wednesday’s turnout, adding it was “fantastic” to see so many residents filing into and walking around the Council Chambers to make their choices.

“The fact that everyone is involved is wonderful,” she said, adding she recognized some of the faces she saw at Wednesday’s session at previous meetings dedicated to the City Center project.

What Should You Read Next?

• Sandy Springs Takes Another Step Forward With City Center Project
• Sandy Springs Chooses Holder as Construction Manager For City Center Project
• Sandy Springs Moves Forward With Eminent Domain for City Center Project
• Consultant Releases Recommendations for Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center
• Sandy Springs Wants Input From Arts, Theatre Groups on Performing Arts Facility
• Sandy Springs Approves City Center Site Plan, Performing Arts Center

Photo credits: Kristal Dixon