The Sandy Springs City Council approved new alcohol licenses for businesses on Roswell Road, advanced multi-use path construction, and moved forward on a potential new round of transportation sales-tax funding at its Tuesday, July 21, meeting.

The actions came during a session that also produced a $300,000 contract to close a side-path gap on Glenridge Drive near Interstate 285 and authorized a safety study for Roswell Road, one of the city's highest-injury corridors, as Appen Media reporter Hannah Yahne reported July 23.

The alcohol permits apply to Roswell Road businesses, according to the Patch AM newsletter published Friday, July 25. The corridor stretches roughly 10 miles through the heart of Sandy Springs' commercial district.

Council members also approved an intergovernmental agreement related to a potential new round of transportation special-purpose local-option sales tax (TSPLOST) funding, according to the same newsletter. Sandy Springs voters last approved the 0.75% transportation sales tax in November 2021. That collection period runs through March 31, 2027, according to city records. TSPLOST dollars fund sidewalks, multi-use paths, traffic safety improvements, road maintenance, and paving across the city.

The multi-use path work the council advanced has not been detailed publicly. But the vote fits a pattern. At the council's June 16 meeting, Councilman Andrew Chinsky pushed colleagues to redirect spending away from car-focused projects and toward pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure.

"I'm hesitant to keep spending so much on car-oriented travel thinking it's going to solve the traffic problem when it's not going to," Chinsky said at that June 16 session, during a presentation of the city's draft Transportation Master Plan. "We have to provide people other ways to get around and also help people stop driving through Sandy Springs."

The 276-page draft plan, prepared by Modern Mobility Partners, proposes more than $250 million in transportation investments over the next decade. Nearly 8% of Sandy Springs households lack access to a personal vehicle, making pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure critical for reaching jobs, schools, and medical services, according to the plan.

The largest TSPLOST-funded project in the pipeline is the Hammond Drive improvement between Roswell Road and Glenridge Drive, estimated at $59.6 million to $64.6 million. That stretch carries approximately 17,500 vehicles daily. Construction was expected to begin in 2026, and the project will add multi-use paths on both sides of the road with dedicated pedestrian crossings at four locations.

The council also approved upgrades to police vehicles at the July 21 meeting.

Residents can track council agendas and submit public comments at sandyspringsga.gov.