Sandy Springs Renames Portion Of Barfield Road To Mercedes-Benz Drive

SANDY SPRINGS, GA -- Dozens of residents packed into Sandy Springs City Hall Tuesday evening to give their opinion on whether Barfield Road should be rebranded as the namesake of the large automobile company planning to relocate its American headquarters into the city.

A good chunk of residents signed up to speak out against the measure, and a few braved the crowd to express their support.

When it was all said and done, however, a compromise motion considered by the city doused what's been a fiery issue simmering over the last few weeks among Sandy Springers.

The City Council at its March 7 meeting unanimously approved renaming the stretch of Barfield Road in front of the future Mercedes-Benz USA headquarters to Mercedes-Benz Drive. Councilman Andy Bauman was not present.

The original proposal called for renaming Barfield between Mt. Vernon Highway and Abernathy Road, a proposal that angered many residents as well as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 6450 Barfield Road.

The compromise, proposed by District 4 Councilman Gabriel Sterling, threw a curve ball into Tuesday's discussions, most likely quelling the tone of the comments some resident were prepared to read into the record.

Matthew Everitt, general counsel to Mercedes-Benz, threw his support behind Sterling's motion, as it will now allow the city and residents to move forward on issues that are important to Sandy Springs, he said.

The LDS Temple recently pleaded with the city not to change the street name. Bill Maycock, a member of the church, went on the record Tuesday to say he supported the compromise.

Tom Fairlough, a branding executive who works with clients to help them get their names out to the public, added the "compromise seems to make sense to me.”

There were some residents who were still unhappy with the move. Craig Keyworth noted Sandy Springs and its residents have compromised enough to accommodate the sheer volume of development cropping up around the city.

Barfield Road, he said, has roots in this community that go back longer than when Mercedes-Benz begin to even roll off the tongues of city leaders and area stakeholders.

He also posed the question of whether a street name has any bearing on a company's success.

“The name Mercedes is not going to make a difference in terms of their success," he stated.

Natalie Barfield, whose great-great-grandfather Monroe Barfield farmed on the land now bearing her surname, continued in the same vain, adding Mercedes-Benz is already known to the public.

She reminded the audience as well as the Council that the company's name will be etched into the minds of metro Atlanta residents for years to come, as the new Atlanta Falcons stadium will bear its name.

While she said she appreciated the city meeting the opposition halfway, she said the change from Barfield Road to Mercedes Benz Drive will complicate logistics as well as GPS systems.

Before closing out her comments, she also asked a rhetorical question: if Barfield Road were named Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, would Sandy Springs even consider renaming the thoroughfare?

The renaming isn't about the city turning its back on the past. It's about accepting and embracing change, said resident Bill Jones, who spoke in favor. Jones said Mercedes has provided tremendous amount of support to the community, and he didn't see a problem with the proposal on the table.

Jan Paul, executive director of Leadership Sandy Springs, and Tom Mahaffey, president and CEO of the Sandy Springs/Perimeter Chamber of Commerce, echoed those sentiments.

Mahaffey adding renaming Barfield Road would give the city a "global identity" and recognition as a place where companies can realistically consider doing business.

Paul added Mercedes-Benz has been a great partner with the Sandy Springs nonprofit community, and she has seen "numerous ways" in which the community has benefited from its presence.

Chris Burnett, the city's newest Councilman, said the city in 2015 did commit to a renaming of Barfield Road of some sort, and it's incumbent upon the city to keep its commitments. He also told the audience that Mercedes-Benz has been supportive of the Community Assistance Center and the Sandy Springs Education Force's annual STEAM Showcase events.

"They have made a truly diligent effort to be part of this community," he added.

Mayor Rusty Paul commended Sterling for his work in hashing out a compromise. He did say Sandy Springs leaders instructed city staff to proceed with the commitment. As such, "we don't do that and pull the rug out from under out staff."

This compromise, the mayor said, now gives the city a chance to live up to its commitment to Mercedes-Benz and preserve the Barfield Road name many in the community are passionate about.

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