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
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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
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Find us on
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6010 Sandy Springs Circle
Sandy Springs, GA 30328 1404-500-2483
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Facebook.com/TheReporterNewspapers ■ twitter.com/Reporter_News
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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.
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