A look at the movement from exclusion of hispanics and blacks in Northern Atlanta neighborhoods, to expulsion through exclusionary zoning, auto-mobility, and anti-crowding ordinances, colorblind justification.
City of Sandy Springs to hold North End revitalization community input meeting on March 5th
HEADS UP!
The city of Sandy Springs is hosting a community input meeting on Thursday, March 5th at 6:00pm and will be held at City Hall, located at 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs, Ga. 30328.
Will you be there? We NEED your voice.
What We Know
- The city is considering REMOVING some of the zoning restrictions on the North End, the same restrictions currently in place throughout the rest of the city
- This would allow developers to begin work on new construction
- The city is weighing tax breaks for developers so that they are given additional free right to build what they want, with little limitations
- Some members of the CURRENT Advisory Committee want ONLY single-family homes built in Sandy Springs, and many are representing their neighborhood’s Home Owners Associations.
- There is ONE renter on the committee.
What We Don’t Know
There’s a few questions that we need answers to that we hope will come out of this meeting:
- Where will the current families be when all of this is finished?
- Will they still be here?
- Or will they have been forced out?
We Need You There
Your voice is needed at this meeting.
Is this the type of city we want?
Or do we want to have development with preservation of housing affordability?
We can, and should, do both. But we need YOU to stand with us by making your voice heard, loud and clear. Share your stories, your insight, your feedback. Lift your voices.
See you on March 5th at 6pm at City Hall!
Local media highlights far-reaching impact of Atlanta’s lack of housing affordability
Since the inception of Sandy Springs Together, we’ve harped on the importance of the city addressing the growing affordable housing crisis before it’s too late.
We’ve also highlighted the fact that this problem isn’t exclusive to Sandy Springs — it’s impacting the entire city of Atlanta and similar metropolitan areas around the country.
11Alive Speaks Up
Recently, the news crew over at 11Alive produced a great segment articulating the key issues and consequences that the ever-rising cost of housing is creating in the Atlanta area.
As 11Alive says in their report, “it has become common in Atlanta — homes coming down, expensive buildings and developments going up.”
Why This is a Problem
This is a huge problem because people who have lived in these areas for decades are being forced out of their neighborhood, and the average person cannot afford to live in, or even near, the city.
As it stands now, according to an Atlanta Business Chronicle report, roughly 340,000 Atlanta households pay more than 30% of their income toward housing costs, including rent and mortgage.
The 11Alive segment points out that the fact that these high housing costs impact people’s ability to spend money on other things, such as healthcare, daycare and even basic necessities, like groceries.
Perhaps an even more compelling argument comes from the National Association of Realtors, who argue that as housing prices increase, workers have to live farther out, which means businesses are less likely to come to Atlanta due to workers’ longer commutes.
Solid Evidence
Housing prices are up nearly 50% over the last 5 years; that is a short time to see such a price hike.
Housing prices are more than double the growth rate of the median family income.
It’s evident that the impact of a lack of housing affordability is seeping its way into all aspects of our lives.
The Solution
Well, the city of Atlanta has a $1 billion — yes, BILLION — plan to tackle some of the core issues that drive the affordable housing crisis.
We can be part of the solution as well.
Sandy Springs Together started as a group of concerned citizens. We’ve been echoing these same sentiments every single day since our founding.
If you’re finding yourself feeling like a concerned citizen as well, we would love for you to join us as we search for the best policies.
Action is needed and it’s needed now.
Let’s make it happen together.
Heads up! Sandy Springs is holding its first public North End Advisory Meeting to discuss future plans
What’s Happening
The first North End Advisory Meeting has been officially scheduled.
The details are:
DATE: February 10, 2020
TIME: 4:00 p.m.
PLACE: 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs, Ga. 30328
READ MORETransparency is the key to local government accountability
Editor’s Note: Sandy Springs Together periodically publishes letters or comments from community members who raise a concern we feel should be considered by the broader community.
Please let us hear your thoughts.
By Mary Baron
“Until we have responsive government close to home that is accountable to us, it is not representative government.” ~ Eva Galambos, The Atlanta Constitution, February 17, 2005
The movement for Sandy Springs’ cityhood was fueled by a sense that the representatives of the Fulton County Commission were not being responsive or accountable to the Sandy Springs residents. Sandy Springs residents were also paying more in taxes than they were receiving in dollar value for services.
READ MORE
Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta calls for inclusive, reflective changes to decision making process
As Sandy Springs moves forward with revitalizing the North End, we are hopeful that not only the decisions themselves, but also the process, is inclusive and reflective of the needs and well-being of all of our neighbors. Everyone should be included and heard in the decision making process.
This is true no matter how much you earn, what you look like, or where in our city you live. Everyone deserves a voice.
All of us bring value to Sandy Springs. Isn’t that what Martin Luther King, Jr. would say?
Recently, Alicia Philipp, president of the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta addressed the Atlanta Regional Commission’s annual meeting. Her remarks were truly impactful, and as we celebrate this week the life and legacy of MLK, we wanted to take time to highlight a few of Philipp’s remarks.
In her statement, she asked, “What is our path forward … as a city and as a region?”
She states that we must not only face the difficult issues, but that we must change the way decisions are made. In metro-Atlanta, more than a quarter of families do not have $400 on hand in the case of an emergency, while another 1 in 3 families spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs. She points out that we have all of the ingredients to become the land of opportunity and provide pathways to the American Dream, but that the system is falling short for so many.
She talks candidly about race, and how we tell ourselves the lie that there are no racial biases in society. Yet, in reality, we are more divided than united along racial lines, especially when it comes to education, health outcomes, employment and housing. The data is there — our minority neighbors are not prospering.
But at the same time, how decisions are made also contributes to these inequalities. She talks about the “Atlanta Way”, and how this needs to change, to be a more inclusive process.
“The future is not one voice, one language, one race, one faith or one gender,” Phillipp said. “We don’t all look the same, and the center of power should look like all of us not just some of us. How do we become more inclusive of all voices, races and perspectives?”
She concludes by saying, “Let every one of us find a way to reject indifference and make a difference in our community and our region. We MUST be better than that, we are better than that”.
We couldn’t agree more, and that’s why we were compelled to share this moving message with you.
If you’d like to read more from Alicia Phillipp, you can here: http://bit.ly/2TDBl7X
