As we begin a new year — our second year as Sandy Springs Together — we want to review some of our best work from the past year and highlight a few headlines you may have missed.
BeltLine Officials Discuss Affordability Shortcomings with Sandy Springs
One of our favorite memories of 2019 was a public meeting we hosted for members of the Sandy Springs community with BeltLine officials to come together and discuss what we can learn from Atlanta’s experience with the BeltLine.
We discussed important issues, such as skyrocketing housing costs, traffic congestion and how future development impacts affordable housing.
And despite a heavy amount of rain on a weekday, we welcomed more than 150 citizens into an important conversation. This was a strong show of support that underscores just how important affordable housing is to the people who live here in Sandy Springs.
Revitalization Has Arrived in Sandy Springs
One of the most common misconceptions about our work here at Sandy Springs Together is that we don’t believe in revitalization — this is just plain not true. The real issue is the impact on affordability.
We believe that the conversation should not be about whether or not our city should invest in revitalization, but rather HOW we should invest and whose voices should be included in the process.
On this page of our website, we lay out all of the ongoing revitalization projects in our city, while also exploring the intricacies of what it all means for affordable housing.
SST and ARC Partner for Needed Discussion on Affordable Housing
Over the summer, we had the opportunity to join forces with the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), the region’s top urban planning agency, to host a needed discussion on affordable housing issues in metro-Atlanta. Despite the pouring rain, roughly 100 attendees came out to engage in this important conversation.
It’s always a pleasure to work with great teams with similar goals, such as the Atlanta Regional Commission, to bring folks together for needed conversations. And this one was no exception. In addition, the ARC developed a regional “push” to create greater awareness of the need for more affordable housing. You can read more, here: http://bit.ly/36QhfKO
Check out our website to learn more about this successful event, including key takeaways, highlights and analysis for your reading pleasure!
Overall, it’s hard to deny that this past year was anything but a huge success for where we’re going as an organization. But the truth of the matter is that the future is even brighter, not only for SST, but for Sandy Springs as a whole.
There’s still lots of work to do, but we sure are glad to have you in this fight with us to make Sandy Springs a better place for everyone — together.
