Commercial and Residential Locksmiths in Sandy Springs, GA

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Sandy Springs residents could vote in November on giving the city the power to create special tax districts to spur economic development.

The City Council is slated to vote at its March 17 meeting on a resolution seeking state legislation to authorize a referendum on the Nov. 3 general election ballot. Voters would decide whether to grant the city redevelopment powers or the ability to create tax allocation districts.

The City Council meeting will be held following a Public Facilities Authority meeting at 6 p.m. and a council work session. All meetings will be held in the Studio Theatre at Sandy Springs City Hall, 1 Galambos Way.

The PFA, composed of City Council members, will meet to vote on awarding a contract to construct new fire stations. The council work session will be a presentation from the Georgia Department of Transportation on its plans for the interchange at Interstate 285 and Roswell Road.

To view the entire City Council agenda, click here. The meeting can be streamed live by clicking here.

City Attorney Dan Lee said in a memo to City Manager Eden Freeman that granting the city redevelopment powers would give the city an additional economic development tool to address:

- Disrupted or underutilized areas

- Deficiencies in infrastructure

- Economic revitalization opportunities

- Strategic long-term planning goals

The redevelopment powers law authorizes local governments to create tax allocation districts. When a TAD is created, property taxes are frozen within the district. Future increases in property taxes from anticipated new development in the district would be used for infrastructure improvements, such as roads or sidewalks, through tax increment financing.

HB 1535, to put the referendum on the Sandy Springs ballot, was introduced last week. The last day of the session is April 2.

Mayor Rusty Paul campaigned on creating TADs to redevelop the city’s North End.

If Sandy Springs voters approve TADs for the city, the Fulton County Commission and Fulton County Schools would have to vote to approve.

The Sandy Springs City Council passed a resolution at its March 17 meeting that authorizes a citizen referendum this November on the city’s right to create redevelopment areas and tax allocation districts.

City Attorney Dan Lee said the Sandy Springs legislative delegation requested that city officials approve a resolution affirming their desire to change the city charter and pursue redevelopment powers through a referendum this fall.

“One of the tools we have not made use of is the Georgia Redevelopment Powers law,” Lee said. “In that, tax [allocation] districts would be allowed, which is a wonderful tool used by many local governments to set aside tax growth in certain areas to be applied to infrastructure improvements and to incentivize private developers to provide certain amenities to a development.”

House Bill 1535, sponsored by all four state legislators in Sandy Springs, would put a citizen referendum on ballots this November if it clears both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly.

“The people of Sandy Springs would have to authorize this,” Lee said.

A city memo says if the referendum is approved by voters, the Sandy Springs City Council could designate redevelopment areas, establish tax allocation districts, and issue tax allocation bonds.

A TAD, or tax increment financing, does not impose a new tax on property owners in a certain district. Instead, it redirects an increment of a geographic area’s property taxes to fund new projects, like mixed-use developments.

Elected officials approved the resolution unanimously without discussion. Council Member Melody Kelley, who represents the west side of the city’s North End, celebrated its approval with a double fist pump.

Sandy Springs officials have been discussing the redevelopment of the city’s North End along Roswell Road for several years without much movement from developers. At its annual retreat in early February, elected officials discussed the legislative process to create a TAD to support North End redevelopment.

The city council also discussed the next steps for the 2021 North End Revitalization Plan, which lost momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic amid high inflation and borrowing costs.

While no announcement has been made, city officials have encouraged the Sandy Springs Development Authority to pursue conversations with the North River shopping center at 8767-8911 Roswell Road.

Some options the city is evaluating include deals to secure city-owned green space and parking spaces. The development authority’s approval of a tax abatement would not require a legislative change, referendum, or citizen approval.

In KB Advisory Group’s presentation analyzing tax digest trends, consultants said they found North End rents lagging behind the rest of the city’s commercial areas.

“Despite lower rents than the combined averages for the city as a whole, north Sandy Springs consistently has higher vacancies,” the presentation said. “For the past 15 years, vacancies in the area have grown in the office sector, remained stable inthe multifamily sector, and decreased in retail.”

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. - Tomorrow may be Friday the 13th, but we can promise a very lucky start to the weekend for bargain hunters in Sandy Springs!

Friday marks the return of Tossed Out Treasures, the annual "upscale resale" event hosted by the Sandy Springs Society! This year’s sale — which continues through Sunday — is happening at Parkside Shopping Center on Roswell Road (just north of I-285), in the space previously occupied by Tuesday Morning. And as anyone who’s ever seen the sale featured on Good Day Atlanta knows (and we’ve featured it many times in the past!), the Society takes the "treasure" part seriously, collecting high-quality donations of designer clothing, jewelry, electronics, books, furniture, and more. Society members say they price to sell, and anything that remains unsold at the end of the weekend is donated to various charities.

The Sandy Springs Society was founded back in 1988 by a group of local women who wanted to focus on the needs of their community. In the years since, the group has raised and donated more than $5.4 million to Sandy Springs nonprofits, with funds coming from events like Tossed Out Treasures and the annual Elegant Elf holiday marketplace. Every single dollar raised during Tossed Out Treasures goes right back to community organizations supported by the Society.

So…who’s ready to shop? The address for this year’s sale is 5920 Roswell Road, Suite C-204, in Sandy Springs — and hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and Noon to 3:00 p.m. on Sunday. For more information on this year’s event, click here. And click the video player in this article to check out our exclusive first look at the treasures up for grabs!

The Source: This is a FOX 5 Atlanta original report.

Treasure hunters, estate sale enthusiasts, and savvy resale shoppers are invited to discover exceptional finds at the 33rd Annual Tossed Out Treasures upscale showcase on March 13–14 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and March 15 from noon to 3 p.m.

The unique shopping experience is widely anticipated in the community each year, according to a release about the event. It celebrates sustainability by reselling, reusing, and repurposing high-end items donated by the Sandy Springs community.

The sale is in Suite C204 at Parkside Shops off Cliftwood Drive at 5920 Roswell Road, formerly occupied by retailer Tuesday Morning. At the conclusion of the event, all unsold merchandise is donated to charitable partners.

Admission is free, and every purchase supports local nonprofits serving the community. Facebook Marketplace browsers and regulars at Poshmark, eBay, and The RealReal are invited.

The festivities begin with a preview party on March 12 from 6–9 p.m. Guests will enjoy a buffet dinner, two drinks, and exclusive first access to browse and purchase designer clothing, high-end accessories, jewelry, antiques, home décor, children’s items, household goods, and more.

Shoppers can browse an impressive selection of merchandise, including a six-piece outdoor furniture set, designer clothing and handbags, man-cave memorabilia, children’s apparel and toys, fine silver and china, one-of-a-kind glassware sets, and artwork. A standout piece this year is a pencil sketch of a Labrador retriever created by a local artist who paints with his feet.

Founded in 1988, The Sandy Springs Society is a women-led nonprofit dedicated to improving the quality of life in Sandy Springs by supporting other local nonprofits that promote the arts, heritage, education, the environment, and social services.

The organization has raised more than $5.4 million to support programs in education, heritage, social services, the arts, and the environment. Proceeds from Tossed Out Treasures benefit area organizations through the Sandy Springs Society’s annual grant program.

“The Sandy Springs Society is a longtime partner of the Community Assistance Center,” CAC Executive Director Francis Horton said. “They have helped us with capital and programming projects and are a consistent advocate for the work we do to prevent homelessness and alleviate hunger. The society is a mainstay in the Sandy Springs’ nonprofit world.”

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Planned commercial, mixed-use developments and apartment buildings in Sandy Springs may soon be required to submit water supply tests before construction can begin.

The Sandy Springs City Council is slated to consider at its March 3 meeting a requirement that large projects in the city be mandated to conduct water supply and fire flow tests before being approved for development.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at Sandy Springs City Hall, Studio Theatre, 1 Galambos Way.

The meeting agenda is available by clicking here. A live stream of the meeting can be viewed by clicking here.

Sandy Springs Fire Chief Keith Sanders is asking the council to amend the Fire Prevention and Protection ordinance to require a Water Supply and Fire Flow Adequacy Study for “larger or higher-impact projects.”

The study is necessary to ensure the city can provide fire protection and water needs for new development, Sanders said in a memo to the council.

“Anticipated growth, especially commercial and mixed-use developments, requires us to proactively guard against future water capacity constraints and ensure these projects can be adequately served without compromising service to existing structures,” Sanders said.

Sanders also noted that the city of Atlanta owns and operates the water system in Sandy Springs. He said because of this, “the City of Sandy Springs must manage development responsibly.”

Sandy Springs has purchased water from Atlanta since its incorporation in 2005. The relationship has not been friendly.

Over the years, Sandy Springs has filed several lawsuits regarding water service and infrastructure reliability. Sandy Springs is also challenging Atlanta’s 21 percent water surcharge.

In June, a special master ruled Atlanta could not charge Sandy Springs residents the surcharge. Atlanta appealed, and in December, a DeKalb County Superior Court judge ruled the surcharge was legal. Now, Sandy Springs is appealing that decision.