Sandy Springs residents can weigh in on the city's next 20-year blueprint for growth, housing and parks at a public workshop on Thursday, Oct. 29.
The third workshop in the "Next Chapter" planning process runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at The Conference Center at City Springs, 1 Galambos Way, according to the city's official announcement. The session is open to residents, business owners and community organizations.
The city is updating two documents at once: the Comprehensive Plan, which guides land use, infrastructure, housing and economic development, and the Recreation & Parks Master Plan, last updated in 2019. The Mayor and City Council are expected to adopt both plans in June 2027.
The workshop will open with a presentation on progress so far and themes from earlier engagement rounds. Attendees will then join interactive activities focused on policy direction and preliminary recommendations. Planning consultants and city staff will be on hand to answer questions.
What residents have said so far
The planning process has already drawn significant input. As of the second public meeting in August, the city had collected 1,015 Comprehensive Plan surveys, 329 Recreation & Parks surveys and 4,028 total comments, according to city planning materials.
A separate mail survey of 984 residents, presented at a Sept. 16 advisory committee meeting, found that nine out of 10 said their quality of life exceeds expectations. Ninety-three percent said parks and recreation opportunities enhance their quality of life, and 96% rated park quality "Excellent" or "Good."
Residents ranked their top development priorities as public safety, preserving the tree canopy, homeownership across income levels and walkability to neighborhood gathering spots like coffee shops or libraries.
On housing, attendees at the August workshops said they generally support more housing diversity but disagree on where it should go. Renters at those sessions said they want to buy but find little available below $750,000. Residents showed equal resistance to very dense multi-unit buildings and very large single-family lots, pointing instead toward "missing middle" options like townhomes, multiplexes and cottage courts.
The most-requested parks amenities include paved multi-purpose trails, natural areas, hiking trails, neighborhood parks, an indoor pool and an indoor gym. Sixty-two percent of survey respondents said they would pay up to $76–$100 more per year in taxes to support parks and recreation.
That is real money on the table.
How to participate
When Mayor Rusty Paul launched the planning effort in June, he said the process "is about ensuring that the future of our city is shaped by the people who live and work here."
Two more public meetings follow the workshop: a fourth session on refined policies is scheduled for December, and a fifth on the draft plan is set for January 2027, according to the project timeline from the June kickoff. Residents who cannot attend in person can provide input at PlanTheNextChapter.org.
