FACT:

The people who rent apartments in Sandy Springs are middle income teachers, nurses, police officers and others who make our community work. This is because rents are NOT CHEAP in Sandy Springs. A 2 bedroom apartment in Sandy Springs typically rents for around $1,837 per month. In order to qualify for these apartments, residents need to have incomes ABOVE $40K. The entry level salary for a Fulton County school teacher is $59,030 which is why we have teachers ALREADY living in these apartments.

FACT: There are very few residents “living off the government.” In fact there are only 135 families in ALL of Sandy Springs who receive federally supported housing through Section 8 Vouchers. Within the North River Catalyst area, there are ONLY 8 residents who receive Section 8 Vouchers.

FACT: The apartments on the North End of Sandy Springs have a 94% occupancy rate. It is true that there are families who move during the school year to keep ahead of the rising rents. They find it necessary to move. Many of these families work in our community and would prefer remaining in place, because they want to live close to their places of employment and want their children to remain in our schools, If we had a program where rents could remain affordable and stable, these families would not have to move.

FACT: According to the city & SSPD, the north end has a LOWER crime rate than the rest of the city. And, the rate has gone down consistently every year since 2015 for ALL crimes. In fact, Part 1 crimes (murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault ,arson, shoplifting) are down 39% for the first 7 months of 2018 (latest information available) compared to the rest of the city. This information is such a surprise to people, including the recently concluded North End Revitalization Task Force, that it made the headlines in the August 9 edition of the Sandy Springs Reporter: Sandy Springs’ north end is safer than city, task force learns

The truth is, we have a safe city, and a safe north end.

FACT: The apartments on the North End are not slums and have a 94% occupancy rate. Most apartments are being updated and renovated because the rental market is strong. For most apartment complexes in the North End, there is a $500 monthly rent difference between a renovated and non-renovated apartment in the same complex.

Additionally, the city has a separate apartment code enforcement division. To obtain a Sandy Springs Business License, the apartment owner must provide a Compliance Certificate and Inspection Report covering 100% of the individual rental units. The city enforces all building codes and inspects specific properties when a complaint is filed.

If you know of an apartment complex that does not meet current building code standards please contact: http://www.sandyspringsga.gov/city-services/urban-development/code-enforcement/apartment-inspections

FACT: Our schools are already good.

The quality of our elementary and middle schools is reflected in the achievements of our high schools. For example, North Springs Charter High School (NSCHS) has a 4-year high school graduation rate of 90% compared to the state average of 81%. Another criteria used to measure the quality of education is the number of students taking and passing Advanced Placement (AP) courses. NSCHS has a student participation rate of 45% — double the state average of 22%.

This performance plus other factors has resulted in NSCHS being ranked in the top 15% of high schools in the entire country according to the US News World report.

Many families in our community can afford private schools but instead choose to send their students to our public schools. They consider our diversity as an asset, not a hinderance, in our public schools.

The state recognizes the impact of family socioeconomics on student achievement. To take this into consideration, they calculate what is called an “Achievement Gap” to measure the difference in student performance for economically disadvantaged and non-economically disadvantaged students in the same schools (elementary, middle, & high). When our more affluent public-school students’ achievement gap scores are compared to their counterparts in other North Fulton public schools, our students have test scores comparable to their cohorts. This allows a more accurate “apple to apple” comparison and a better way to evaluate and measure student and school performance.

In addition, if we were to tear down the apartments and replace them with single family housing, as some suggest, there would be a significant drop in the number of children enrolled in our public schools as has already happened in Sandy Springs with gentrification. This could necessitate the closing of some schools; and/or, at a minimum, reduction in staff and re-districting of attendance zones causing disruption throughout our city as the schools are rebalanced.

FACT: There are 17,000 essential economy jobs in Sandy Springs. Tearing down apartments will increase traffic as these workers need to commute INTO Sandy Springs. Keeping the apartments helps to reduce traffic.