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Fulton Development Authority’s hiring of lobbyists is questioned

The Development Authority of Fulton County is spending $5,000 a month on government lobbyists, a service some similar metro authorities don’t use. Until very recently, those lobbyists included a firm owned by the mayor of Sandy Springs that previously paid consulting fees to longtime DAFC board chair Bob Shaw — a situation one ethics watchdog […]

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South River Forest, housing affordability studies among projects gaining ARC assistance

The massive South River Forest public park concept and housing affordability studies in Buckhead and Chamblee are just a few of the programs that this week won technical or financial assistance from the Atlanta Regional Commission. The ARC on May 12 announced eight winners of its competitive, annual Community Development Assistance Program support. Through CDAP, […]

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City of South Fulton: Creating a sense of place on a blank slate

When it comes to creating a sense of place, the three-year-old City of South Fulton started with a blank slate – for starters, the name doesn’t refer to a previously known community. Now it has Wolf Creek Amphitheater, a 200-acre development planned along the Chattahoochee River, and a detailed economic development plan that offers a vision of a Town Center.

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Sandy Springs embarks on mixed income housing; wants nothing like ATL BeltLine

Sandy Springs’ city officials have called for mixed income housing development to be on the site of a zombie shopping center, and have hired a consultant to help devise a plan to with input and support from city residents. Mayor Rusty Paul has specifically warned against any outcome that looks anything like the sky-high housing market typical along the Atlanta BeltLine.

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Special Atlanta moments with two music masters – Itzhak Perlman and Gary Brooker of Procol Harum

Two 73-year-old musicians graced town over the weekend – performing in new venues – and proving that music bridges over generations and locations.

Itzhak Perlman, the internationally-renowned violin virtuoso, performed at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts, on Saturday evening. And the next night, Procol Harum’s Gary Brooker and his band performed at the City Winery next to Ponce City Market.

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Building trails can build regional connectivity, state incentives would help

By Guest Columnist, MELODY L. HARCLERODE, executive director of the Sandy Springs Conservancy

Engineers from the Union Army noted a tributary in north Fulton County running into the Chattahoochee River as “Mans Cr” or “Mars Cr” on 1864 map. Now, the nonprofit Sandy Springs Conservancy is spearheading the development of the Marsh Creek Trail along Abernathy Road in partnership with the City of Sandy Springs as the initial stage of a city-wide trail system, envisioned as, “a beautiful amenity that can build physical and civic connections in Sandy Springs.”

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Sandy Springs faces test of its vision for a pleasant, walkable downtown

A significant test of Sandy Springs’ commitment to its vision of a pedestrian oriented downtown is to get its first public hearing Thursday before the city’s Planning Commission.

A developer proposes to rezone 10.9 acres along Roswell Road in order to build 329 apartments and 16,000 square feet of retail at the current Marshall’s Plaza. City planners say the four-story project is simply too dense for the walkable town center Sandy Springs intends to establish along this stretch of Roswell Road.

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