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Sandy Springs staff outline $16 million Tier‑1 sidewalk plan, highlight 56 miles built since 2005
Summary
City staff presented a work‑session update on Sandy Springs' walkability program, showing a public story‑map, describing criteria for 'simple' gap‑fill sidewalks and saying roughly $16 million is programmed for Tier‑1 sidewalk projects in T+2026. Council members pressed staff on scoring updates, right‑of‑way donations and options to speed delivery.
City staff presented an update on the Sandy Springs walkability program during a council work session, saying the city has added about 56 miles of public sidewalks since incorporation in 2005 and has mapped existing and planned segments on a public story map.
Wesley Waters, capital improvement unit manager, told council members the city’s sidewalks page hosts an interactive story map that shows completed sidewalks, projects in design and projects under construction. "Approximately 56 miles of new public sidewalks have been added since 2005," Waters said, noting the map includes projects built by the city as well as those added through private development and partner funding.
Waters described the program’s approach to gap‑fill work and a "simple sidewalk" screening tool intended to identify segments that can be built without extensive design or right‑of‑way acquisition. He said simple sidewalks are generally candidates under $200,000 and are applied to gap fills that avoid major survey or parcel acquisitions.
The presentation listed several active and near‑term projects, including Brandon Mill Road (completed), Trail 2A and significant work on Path 400. Staff said large GDOT‑partner projects such as Path 400 account for a substantial portion of pedestrian infrastructure investment; Waters noted TS 191 and TS 192 work that will complete sections in 2026.
On funding, staff said the capital sidewalk program has been advanced by the city’s T6/Tesplas funding source for roughly a decade and that the T+2026 Tier‑1 sidewalk program is currently programmed at about $16 million. Mr. Martin (staff) said the city has invested about $44 million in the capital sidewalk program since 2012, while acknowledging other funding sources (federal, state and partner funds) have also supported sidewalks and side paths.
Council members pressed staff on operational details. Council Member Miller asked for a breakdown of the 56 miles by funding source so the council can see how much was locally funded versus leveraged; Waters said staff can provide that data. Councilman Pollson asked how frequently staff updates project scoring and whether a neighborhood’s donation of right‑of‑way would immediately move a project up the priority list. Waters said the scoring committee maintains a running list and meets monthly but that staff uses cutoff periods and public posting to preserve fairness before formal processing of donations.
Mr. Martin explained the policy history underpinning current practice: "In 2015, our code changed," he said, describing that the city moved away from an automatic sidewalk construction requirement for single‑family tear‑down/rebuilds and instead requires right‑of‑way dedication or easements that allow the city to construct sidewalks later.
Staff also outlined delivery constraints that commonly delay projects: the number of parcels needing right‑of‑way, retaining‑wall and drainage engineering, utility relocations and permitting. "One of the indicators we look for in estimating delivery length on a schedule of a project is how many parcels of right‑of‑way are required for that project," Mr. Martin said, noting that parcel counts can push schedules from a few months to 18 months or more.
On acceleration, staff said adding staff (for example a right‑of‑way acquisition specialist) or consultant support can speed delivery in some cases and offered to return with options and cost estimates. Councilors also raised a policy idea — asking developers to "pay forward" the cost of sidewalks when it is impractical to build immediately — and staff cited prior examples where developers paid into construction costs in lieu of immediate installation.
On trails and usage measurement, staff said they are exploring trail counters with PATH Foundation to gather data on trail use, and they noted core permitting and stormwater work (Windsor Parkway example) can add weeks or months to timelines.
The work session closed with staff agreeing to provide more detailed breakdowns (funding sources for past miles, comparative cost data for simple sidewalks, and research on developer payment options) and to consider dashboard or public‑facing status updates for right‑of‑way donation progress and project timing. The council then moved to regular order.
