Sandy Springs City Council Work Session – Sidewalk Program Review (June 2, 2026)

Mayor Rusty Paul convened the Sandy Springs City Council Work Session at 6:00 p.m. on June 2, 2026, in the Studio Theatre at City Hall; the meeting adjourned at 6:55 p.m. The agenda included one presentation, 2026-144 Sidewalk Program Review, followed by Council discussion. No formal votes were taken.

Sidewalk Program Overview

• Wesley Waters, Public Works CIP Unit Manager, and William H. Martin, Jr., AIA, Public Works Director, presented on the City's walkability program since incorporation in 2005.
• Approximately 56 miles of new public sidewalks have been added since 2005, not including private sidewalks, connecting neighborhoods to schools, parks, transit, and commercial areas.
• The City maintains an online Sidewalks, Sidepaths, and Trails Story Map plus the Sidewalk Access Explorer; staff agreed to make these resources more visible on the City's sidewalks web page.
• Walkability has been funded by the City General Fund, impact fees, prior TSPLOST programs, and regional/state/federal partners including PCID, MARTA/FTA, GDOT/FHWA, CDBG, SRTA, and GTIB.
• Waters reported that for the 2021 TSPLOST program, 16 of 20 sidewalk segments are complete, two are awaiting construction bids, and one remains held up by right-of-way.

TSPLOST 2026 and Sidewalk Selection

• The proposed TSPLOST 2026 program includes roughly $16,000,000 in top-priority sidewalk segments identified through the City's Sidewalk Program scoring criteria and Sidewalk Network Master Plan.
• Councilmember Mary Ford recalled that a previous presentation targeted $12,000,000 of TSPLOST sidewalks and said she appreciated the increase to $16,000,000. Waters said $12,000,000 was the previous funding level, a $20,000,000 line had been sketched in, and the plan places the additional $4,000,000 in tier two.
• Martin said the City has invested about $44,000,000 in capital sidewalk programs since 2012, with many other fund sources also supporting sidewalks and sidepaths; PATH400 construction to I-285 and GA-400 totals about $40,000,000.
• Waters explained that the simple sidewalk criteria are guidelines for identifying gap-fill candidates generally under $200,000; above that threshold a survey is needed. The North River gap fill did not qualify as simple but is being advanced and requires driveway easements.
• The Sidewalk Project Scoring Worksheet is updated monthly by a committee, and the list is brought to Council before public posting for right-of-way donations. Waters said about fifteen candidates are not currently on the worksheet, and updates can be more frequent at Council's request.
• Councilmember John Paulson said neighborhoods should not have to wait until the next TSPLOST cycle for a resolved issue to move up the priority list, and asked staff to report whether simple sidewalks saved money.

Sidewalk vs. Sidepath and Project Delivery

• Martin said the sidewalk program focuses on neighborhoods, typically with a six-foot sidewalk and a two-foot grass strip. Sidepaths are larger facilities that are bike- and pedestrian-accessible and eligible for different funding on GDOT projects.
• Mayor Paul noted that GDOT treats sidepaths as transportation infrastructure eligible for different funding; Martin said GDOT has been supportive and most transportation investments in Sandy Springs include a sidewalk or sidepath component.
• Martin described sources of delay, including right-of-way acquisition, retaining walls, utility conflicts, drainage, stream impacts, and permits such as the Windsor Parkway core permit. He said adding right-of-way staff could potentially accelerate project delivery and staff would study that.

Councilmember Questions and Direction

• Councilmember Melody Kelley asked whether the interactive Sidewalk Master Plan and Sidewalk Access Explorer could be posted on the sidewalks page; Waters confirmed. She also asked about Project 2010 Adair Lane; Waters said it will connect to the Segment 2C Trail between two entrances.
• Councilmember Melissa Mular requested a breakdown of City funds versus TSPLOST funds for the 56 miles, noting TSPLOST was heavily leveraged; staff said the data could be provided.
• Councilmember Andrew J. Chinsky said residents view sidewalks, sidepaths, and trails as one paved network; asked staff to consider scoring streets where one side already has a sidewalk; and noted privacy concerns about a right-of-way dashboard, but observed that right-of-way acquisitions are already public. He proposed exploring a developer payment into a fund instead of piecemeal sidewalk construction, and challenged staff to identify ways to accelerate projects before the next budget year.
• Martin cited a Roswell Road example where a developer effectively paid forward streetscaping, and said a more researched response would be provided on fee-in-lieu and pay-forward options.
• Kelley asked about adding a Colquitt Road segment to the Sidewalk Master Plan. Waters said it was considered in the last update but excluded based on the criteria, and it is partly in GDOT right-of-way. Martin said trail and network connectivity on Colquitt could be considered after the SR-400 managed lanes are built. Assistant City Manager Kristin Byars Smith said the segment is on the Trail Master Plan.
• Mular asked whether the Master Plan had been updated since January 2024. Martin said the priority list and related items were updated earlier this year; Waters believed the network eligibility list dated to January 2024.
• Mular said sidewalks, paths, and trails solve different mobility problems and must be viewed as a connected network. She recalled that 27 years ago there were no sidewalks on Brandon Mill Road and only a few on Dalrymple, and praised staff's work.
• Ford said the Story Map is a great resource and should be more prominent on the website; she also asked for future discussion of midblock crossings and for resident visibility into sidewalk status, citing Windsor Parkway. Martin said the midblock crossing scoring matrix will be reviewed, and that project updates generally include expected construction start and completion dates; Windsor Parkway is down to one right-of-way parcel plus core permitting.

Key Outcomes

• Informational work session only; no ordinance, resolution, or formal vote occurred.
• Staff agreed to provide the City/TSPLOST funding breakdown; post links to the Sidewalk Master Plan and Sidewalk Access Explorer; report on simple sidewalk cost savings; research developer fee-in-lieu and pay-forward mechanisms; explore acceleration options, including right-of-way staff; and continue developing midblock crossing scoring.
• After the sidewalk review, the City Council Discussion Items agenda item had no further business, and the meeting adjourned at 6:55 p.m.