Sandy Springs is expanding its sidewalk network near Chastain Park after the City Council voted to redirect $600,000 in transportation sales tax money to a new construction project.

The council approved the reallocation during its Sept. 1 meeting, shifting funds from the Mount Paran Road and Powers Ferry Road Improvements Project to Phase 2 of the Lake Forrest Sidewalk Project. The move will fund a $1.5 million contract awarded to JHC Corp., the lowest bidder, to build roughly half a mile of new sidewalk along Lake Forrest Drive.

The bid exceeded the city's estimate by more than $200,000.

Phase 2 calls for a 6-foot sidewalk with a 2-foot landscape strip on the west side of Lake Forrest Drive, stretching from the city limits to 4822 Lake Forrest Drive NW and from 25 Pine Lake Drive to 4990 Lake Forrest Drive. Phase 1, completed in December 2025 at a cost of $273,000, built the first segment. The full project spans 4,600 feet connecting the city limit on Lake Forrest Drive to Mount Paran Drive.

The sidewalk vote was part of a broader push on pedestrian infrastructure. Council members also discussed sidewalk work on Long Island Drive, Hope Road and Northwood Drive, according to Fulton Neighbor reporting on the meeting.

City staff sought approval to file environmental reviews for two projects funded through the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program: a sidewalk on the north side of Long Island Drive near the Kroger parking lot entrance to Roswell Road, and one on the north side of Hope Road from Roswell Road to Dunwoody Place. The Hope Road project includes a retaining wall, pedestrian lighting and storm sewer work. Consultant Kimley-Horn and Associates determined the environmental reviews were required. State and federal agencies, including the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, did not raise concerns about the plans.

Council members also considered a $479,494 CDBG-funded contract to Ohmshiv Construction for the Northwood Drive Sidewalk and Pedestrian Crossings Project. That project would replace 316 feet of sidewalk, build two signalized midblock pedestrian crossings, reconstruct 12 curb ramps to ADA standards and install eight pedestrian lights between Kingsport Drive and Roswell Road. Ohmshiv was the lowest bidder by roughly $119,000.

The Lake Forrest project draws on the same TSPLOST revenue that residents will weigh in on this fall. Fulton County voters, including those in Sandy Springs, will decide Nov. 3 whether to renew the 0.75% Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST). The Fulton County Board of Commissioners placed the renewal on the ballot after a vote on Aug. 3. If approved, the tax would run from April 1, 2027, through March 31, 2032, and is estimated to bring $129 million to Sandy Springs over five years, according to Appen Media reporting on the city's transportation master plan.

The council voted 5-1 on Aug. 4 to approve that $280 million, 10-year transportation master plan, funded primarily through TSPLOST collections. Council Member Andrew Chinsky cast the lone dissenting vote. In an Aug. 16 Rough Draft Atlanta report, Chinsky argued the city should prioritize walkability over road expansion: "You won't be sitting in traffic; you won't be getting in accidents … And we can have higher-density residential development where appropriate for our zoning."

The council also approved an alcohol license for a Chevron station on Roswell Road. Voter registration for the Nov. 3 election closes Oct. 5. Early in-person voting begins Oct. 13.