Sandy Springs Moves Forward With North End Redevelopment

SANDY SPRINGS, GA — During its Dec. 3 meeting, the Sandy Springs City Council approved a contract with TSW to develop a conceptual master plan for four shopping centers in the north end of the city. The project is part of the city’s efforts to create a vision and strategy for revitalizing that area.

The four shopping centers included in the conceptualization include:

• 8610 Roswell Road (former Loehmann’s Plaza)
• 8331-8371 Roswell Road (Northridge Shopping Center)
• 8765-8897 Roswell Road (North River Shopping Center)
• 7300 Roswell Road (former Big Lots Center)

TSW will develop three conceptual master plans for each of the focus properties, totaling 12 plans. In each set, one of those plans must follow existing building code and zoning policies; the second plan can test the code requirements and potentially require minor adjustments to the code, and the third plan can explore all options for redevelopment. The firm was asked to consider how to add additional households within the district, and an economic analysis based on market conditions must be included for each plan.

The Request for Proposals also requires a Public Involvement Plan incorporating traditional and innovative public involvement techniques to inform and take in feedback from the community. Specifically, at least two citywide public meetings are required and at least one meeting held at each of the properties to obtain public input about that area.

Thirteen firms submitted proposals for consideration. The evaluation committee selected four firms to interview based on criteria including the firm’s demonstrated experience to develop similar projects in the same type of setting, quality of the proposed team, and approach and innovations to meet the project’s goals ranked the firms. In selecting TSW, the evaluation team cited the firm’s ability to deliver comparable projects and strength in conducting community engagement, including components to educate the public regarding economic feasibility in redevelopment programs.

The mission of the North End Revitalization Task Force was to create a vision and plan for the revitalization of the north end that is achievable and sustainable, which benefits the city as a whole, and that creates a sense of place for families presently living in the area. The Task Force presented its report in January, which offered several ideas and projects, including recommended roles that the city could best play and roles it should expect others to play, including landowners, developers, nonprofits, and citizens. The Task Force recommended beginning with a catalyst project that would be of a sufficient scale to show how mixed-income developments with a mix of uses can work that would produce excitement about the potential of the North End.

The contract for North End Design Services is in the amount of $307,260.00.

For more information about the City of Sandy Springs, visit online at www.sandyspringsga.gov, or call the Citizen Response Center at 770-730-5600.