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Sandy Springs parks master-plan findings show public appetite for park upgrades and possible bond, consultants say
Summary
Consultants told the Sandy Springs City Council that preliminary survey and public-input findings show strong interest in connected parks and trails, multigenerational recreation and protecting tree canopy; early results also show willingness among respondents to consider increased tax funding for parks, and two public meetings are set for Aug. 17 and 20.
Consultants presenting the recreation and parks master plan told the Sandy Springs City Council on July 21 that public input so far favors expanding and improving the city's parks and trail network and shows early signs of support for increased tax funding to pay for those improvements.
Carlos Perez, principal of Perez planning and design, said the team is still awaiting two datasets ' a statistically valid survey and an online public survey ' but that themes from meetings and advisory conversations are clear: residents want more park and trail connectivity (both paved and unpaved), enhanced existing parks and expanded access for multigenerational and inclusive recreation. "We also appear to see some support for both, enhancing existing parks as well as expanding the system where we can," Perez said.
Why it matters: Park investments can require new revenue or bond measures and carry trade-offs for property taxes, maintenance and site acquisition. Perez told council members staff is already seeing "a willingness to invest in parks, and increasing tax dollars for a potential bond" in early engagement results, a point staff said will be tested and refined in the forthcoming statistically valid survey.
Supporting details: The consultant team and staff said the statistically valid parks survey will be published this week, followed by the conjoined online survey. Two public meetings are scheduled: Aug. 17 (south end, Church Of The Redeemer) and Aug. 20 (police headquarters). Staff said they will continue pop-up engagement activities and publish notices on the project engagement hub.
Council members and residents raised practical questions about how new parkland might be secured. Melissa Mueller asked whether park acquisition could include partnerships with private redevelopment that places recreational space within commercial projects; Perez and staff replied that the plan will examine multiple land-acquisition models, including catalytic green space tied to private redevelopment.
Engagement and data: Staff reported strong response rates to outreach: the conjoined survey invitation went to more than 2,700 people and had reached roughly 1,000 responses at the time of the meeting, an amount staff said exceeds thresholds needed for the statistically valid portion of work. Staff named Recon AMR as the contractor conducting the conjoined portion and said they will independently analyze responses and publish results when the surveys close.
What's next: Staff will present the same materials to the planning commission in a work session, complete the statistically valid survey, and incorporate the engagement results into the comprehensive plan's existing-conditions chapter and draft policies after public meeting #2. The consultant team and staff encouraged residents to check the engagement hub for notices and to attend the August meetings.
