Sandy Springs Celebrates City Hall Grand Opening

SANDY SPRINGS, GA — More than 1,000 people trickled in Monday morning to celebrate the grand opening of City Springs, a massive redevelopment project that will not only serve as the center of Sandy Springs government operations, but the gathering point for the city's 100,000 residents.

A slew of residents, current and former elected officials and representatives from various local businesses and organizations huddled in front of the main entrance to hear Mayor Rusty Paul's words marking a milestone in the city's nearly 13-year run as an official municipality.

Monday's turnout, he added, was "absolutely phenomenal," as dirt began turning on City Springs on a bitterly cold day in January 2014 when former Mayor Eva Galambos mounted the cab of a backhoe and "took a few bites out of the western wall" of the old Target store.

While the project got underway on that January day when the temperature measured only 10 degrees Fahrenheit, the idea for a new City Hall and central gathering spot predates the formation of Sandy Springs. The mayor noted many residents over the years have casually mentioned that the old Target store was "the perfect location for City Hall."

So, after four years of intensive planning, designs, public meetings and construction, Paul noted "we're finally here." The site of City Springs, the mayor told the crowd, originally consisted of a large asphalt parking lot.

"So with all due respect to Joni Mitchell, we tore down a parking lot and put up paradise," the mayor said, referring to the legendary singer's "Big Yellow Taxi" hit.

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The new City Hall building will house city management, Mayor and Council offices as well as general city services such as Public Works, Planning and Zoning, Code Enforcement, Finance and Revenue, and Recreation and Parks. It will also be home to a variety of meeting spaces designed for community gathering.

The main lobby features several breakout meeting spaces while the third-floor conference level includes six separate areas which can be configured to serve a variety of meetings and events. The Studio Theatre will serve as the home for City Council meetings.

Mayor Paul added city leaders hope City Springs will serve as a location where "families can come here and feel comfortable to just come here and spend time." Throughout the planning phase, Sandy Springs leaders always assumed the site would just be home to its new City Hall. However, during public input meetings, residents clamored for Sandy Springs to create a place that would "build the connective tissue" of the community, a place to learn and be entertained, a place to meet new friends and reconnect with old neighbors and a place where they can build on the existing quality of life.

"They wanted a place that was everybody's neighborhood," he said, referencing a tree that was planted with dirt from all Sandy Springs neighborhoods in 2015. "So, we literally...have transformed this into everybody's neighborhood."

City Springs will also be the most publicly usable space, as there four cubicle-style areas with tables and chairs on the main lobby, with no reservations required for use. If those are full, there are four more on the second level. If you want to enjoy more of a view while you work, the third level will provide you access with the city's "front porch," a furnished balcony where you can take in the city of Atlanta's skyline. The third floor is also home to space that can play host to various events such as banquets, meetings, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs or even concerts.

"We're going to do so many things here that you're bound to like many of them, we hope, and the goal is to make sure that we have everybody, every resident of this city, will find something so compelling that they've got to show up at least once a year to be able to be part of something that's going on at this site," he added.

In a brief chat with Patch, Mayor Paul marveled at the turnout, noting the city had about 1,015 people come through the doors. The enthusiasm and excitement of the community helped keep the momentum going throughout the project. Monday's turnout was evident of how many residents supported the Mayor and City Council's goal of creating a central gathering spot for its residents, he said.

While there were some rumblings of discontent about City Springs by a few residents in the first several months of the project, Mayor Paul added that the overwhelming amount of input he's received over the last three years has been positive.

"That's so overwhelmed any of the negative comments that may have been occuring on social media," he added. "The overwhelming support that this community gave this project throughout the whole process helped get us all excited."

City Council member Jody Reichel agreed, adding many of her constituents are excited and overwhelmed by the project. She also said she was appreciative of the people who came before her and helped guide the power brokers to create something Sandy Springs could be proud of.

"[So many] people before me did so much to make this happen," she said, adding numerous citizens were also proud of Mayor Paul's commitment to City Springs.

Images via Kristal Dixon