About Sandy Springs reporter. (Sandy Springs, GA) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 2, 2020)
14 | Community HUMIDOR ' COCKTAILS ' KITCHEN PREMIER CIGAR LOUNGE Experience the art and style of cigar smoking. We can accomodate your private or corporate events. Contact Management for details. Cuban and American Cuisine Open for Lunch Enjoy Live Jazz Entertainment With Classic Vocals Tuesday & Wednesday 6pm - 9pm Friday & Saturday 8pm - 11pm Sports Viewing in a Relaxed Atmosphere . _i .s.i- / #1 i"' ' SSk' 7 -' ■ -v; Additional new lounge seating State of the art exhaust system Convenient, free parking Monday - Saturday I Noon until... Late night Sunday I Noon until 10 pm www.thehavanacigarlounge.com . ^ G\ r Qfo((oio (cy us on Find us on I Facebook 6010 Sandy Springs Circle Sandy Springs, GA 30328 1404-500-2483 \ Facebook.com/TheReporterNewspapers ■ twitter.com/Reporter_News *>aio yearin AW I ✓REVIEW BY HANNAH GRECO hannah@reporternewsipapers.net Present and future construction were major themes in Sandy Springs in 2019. Enor mous controversy erupted over the state’s plans for highway toll lanes. The city cele brated the first anniversary of City Springs, while looking ahead to North End redevel opment and a new trail system. And city government changed significant, with a move away from the outsourcing of City Hall departments. SPECIAL A screenshot from an illustrated video released by the Georgia Department of Transportation shows the proposed flyover lanes atop Northridge Road as part of the Ga. 400 toll lanes project. TOLL LANES TO TAKE HOUSES Residents were shocked by the revelation that the state’s plans for toll lanes on Ga. 400 could involve demolishing more than 40 houses and other buildings, and proper ty acquisition was already underway for similar lanes on 1-285. Impacts to schools and other properties were a concern, too. The city pressed for changes. In one case, GDOT changed its plans for the toll lanes project on Northridge Road and Pitts Road after the city sent a letter expressing con cerns. The city also floated, then dropped, the idea of paying an additional $30 million for GDOT to move a proposed toll lane interchange to Crestline Parkway and has opted to endorse GDOT’s plan to build it on Mount Vernon Highway. The toll lane projects are now delayed by years, but property acquisitions continue and a new round of open-house meetings on the 1-285 portion is planned for January. CITY WINS BILLBOARD LAWSUIT A judge ruled in favor of the city in a year-long lawsuit to order the billboards across from City Springs to come down. Although the lawsuit was carried out over a year, the issue with the property dates back years. The property is a triangle of concrete and gravel that has remained untouched since commercial buildings were torn down by the city in August 2018. The city has long aimed to spruce up the area with a park and paths, but projects have been stalled due to the lawsuit. Now, the city must wait even longer to bring the billboards down because the company that owns the billboards has filed an appeal against the order. CITY SPRINGS CELEBRATES ONE YEAR The City Springs civic center and its Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center celebrat ed their first birthday, after a year that included adding new public art, buying an out door stage to host concerts and welcoming new restaurants and businesses. But operating the building has proven to not be an easy feat for the city. The Per forming Arts Center still relies on a city subsidy to keep it in the black, and the organi zation formed to help with funding programs has had issues with leadership and has taken a ‘reset’ on its fundraising goals. The city has also sued the contractor for the civic center and was buying water from the city of Atlanta for the fountains that face Roswell Road. EMINENT DOMAIN The Sandy Springs City Council balked on some settlements for right of way acquisi tions for city road projects, claiming the costs are too high and calling for explanation. The city is mainly acquiring strips of land for various streetscape projects, but some set tlements have involved entire properties for land-banking purposes. LAKE FORREST DAM REPAIRS AND LAWSUITS After nearly a decade of repairs being ordered by the state for the Lake Forrest Dam, the City Council has approved a contract for the repair design. The design could re store the lake, but the process could take as long as two-and-a-half years and involve a 12-month closure of Lake Forrest Drive. Because of the current condition of the now-drained private lake, two Lake Forrest Drive homeowners are suing the city of Sandy Springs, among other dam owners, for negligence in dealing with the lake and the dam. ss
