Planning Firm Starts to Bring Downtown into Focus

A Goody Clancy representative gave City Council members and staff an initial presentation on concepts for downtown redevelopment, Tuesday morning.

Community vision will be a part of the process, said David Dixon, Principal in Charge of Planning and Urban Design, at the master planning firm. 

During the daylong City Council retreat in the new Heritage Hall, at Heritage Sandy Springs, Dixon emphasized that a walkable community is essential to economic growth. Many well-educated younger households want a walkable environment, he said, adding that workers follow lifestyles, not jobs. 

He added that Sandy Springs has work to do on the transportation front. Traffic congestion is rising more in the Atlanta metro area than other places, and increased congestion means a loss of jobs.

A new downtown area should include a mix of shops, living, parks, City Hall and a library, he said.  

“What we’re seeing is…it’s a good time to be doing a project like this,” Dixon said. 

Fast Facts by Dixon

• Sandy Springs has a higher concentration of older singles and couples households.

• Sandy Springs has higher housing values than other communities.

• Sixty percent of all households in the Atlanta area are singles and couples.

• Married couples with children are less than 22 percent of households.

• Non-family households outnumber traditional families in the suburbs.

• Traditional one-worker families are less than 10 percent of households.

Sandy Springs Patch will have an update on the entire retreat.