Sandy Springs approves controversial live-work-play community

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Sandy Springs leaders have approved a controversial project to replace old apartments on Roswell Road with a live-work-play complex.

People packed the Sandy Springs City Council meeting Tuesday night to voice their opinions.

Nearby resident Bill Gannon said he supports the proposed Gateway project.

"Property values that are $300,000 should be worth $600,000 and they can when we get improvements like this," Gannon said.

Others at the meeting said they do not want increased density and the traffic that will come with it.

The mixed-use development will include 630 high-end apartments, about 200 more than are there now, office space, a pharmacy, an organic grocery store, restaurants and boutique shops.

The project will also move the Windsor Parkway intersection 300 feet up Roswell Road. Despite that change, residents worry about increased traffic on an already-busy Roswell Road.

"It already backs up in the mornings, at lunch and in the evenings without any new development," one meeting attendee said.

The city council voted 5-1 Tuesday night to approve the project, mainly to get rid of the 60s-era apartments that council members called an eyesore.

"We're talking about a $100 million investment, getting rid of a horrible set of apartments that impact our schools, crime, entry into our city. We need to have better development," council member Gabriel Sterling said.

WSBTV