Sandy Springs City Council voted to place a 60 day moratorium on permits for new apartments that fall within Commercial Zoning areas (zoning classifications C1 and C2). This action does not represent any restrictions on apartment applications within any other zoning categories.
The city has recently attracted many developers for apartment projects as the nation is experiencing a trend toward more rentership. The location is appealing because of its access to MARTA and the emerging job centers within the area, including the State Farm Insurance Campus. As this surge of development happens, Sandy Springs looks to shape its development patterns, particularly on Roswell Road.
Mayor Rusty Paul, keeping in line with the city’s comprehensive master plan, envisions a true mixed use development for Roswell Road, a destination to work, play, and live. Many proposals for these commercial zoning areas did not meet this mixed use plan.
“We were seeing a lot of ‘fig-leaf’ retail projects being submitted. Projects with no real retail presence and with a strong apartment component. We wanted to put the brakes on for a short time to make sure our vision was being conveyed to developers. We don’t just want retail and we don’t just want apartments; we want a true mixed use for Roswell Road,” said Mayor Paul.
The 60 day moratorium will be used to clearly define the apartments and mixed use elements that are authorized within the Commercial Zoning categories, and potentially adjust land-use plans to reflect the goals of the city’s master plan. There are currently three sites under active planning the moratorium is likely to affect. Sandy Springs continues to solicit applications from qualified developers for apartment properties within other zoning categories besides Commercial.