Sandy Springs Planning Commission Regular Meeting: April 22, 2026

The Sandy Springs Planning Commission met on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in the Studio Theatre at Sandy Springs City Hall (1 Galambos Way). The Commission approved the meeting agenda and the February 18, 2026 minutes, received a progress update on the citywide Design Guidelines, and acted on three rezoning applications, approving all three (two unanimously and one on a 3-2 vote).

Consent Calendar

• The April 22, 2026 meeting agenda was approved by unanimous voice vote (motion by Commissioner Clemens, seconded by Commissioner Trylovich).
• The February 18, 2026 Planning Commission meeting minutes were approved unanimously (motion by Commissioner Trylovich, seconded by Commissioner Leeds). Chair Haggard noted that staff had anticipated a March meeting that did not take place.

Work Session: Design Guidelines Update (RHI Inc.)

• Sukirti Ghosh, Principal/Urban Designer with RHI Inc., presented the update; the same presentation was given to the Mayor and City Council on April 21, 2026.
• The Design Guidelines are advisory, like the Comprehensive Plan, and bridge the gap between the Comprehensive Plan and the binding Development Code and Technical Manual. They apply to development, redevelopment, and small-scale development, and include district-specific guidance for North End, City Springs, Central Perimeter, Crossroads, Neighborhood Village, and Powers Ferry.
• The draft document is online at spr.gs/design for public comment until May 15, 2026, with a chapter-by-chapter comment box. A fifth public meeting is scheduled for April 23, 2026, 6:00-8:00 p.m., in the main lobby of City Hall (Ghosh corrected the Chair's earlier reference to the Studio Theatre lobby).
• The guidelines follow roughly a year of engagement: stakeholder meetings, four rounds of public meetings with surveys, and pop-up events (the farmers market pop-up was the most successful). Six topics organize the feedback, including consistent-but-flexible guidelines, distinct district character, walkable streets, quality public gathering spaces, connections between destinations, and better building design without over-regulation. Trees and planting ranked especially high in community feedback.
• Implementation would occur chiefly at the pre-application stage; some elements may later be incorporated into the Development Code. Potential benefits include height bonuses or reductions, predictable approvals, less redesign, and reduced investment risk.
• Commissioner Leeds asked whether certain district elements should be prescriptive rather than advisory; Ghosh said staff are working to give the guidelines "a little bit more teeth." Chair Haggard asked about timing relative to the Next 10 update; Ghosh, who is also on the Comprehensive Plan team, said the two efforts work hand in hand and the guidelines will serve as a baseline for the next plan.

Case 2026-0001: RZ-25-6 — 1265, 1309, 1329, 1349 & 1369 Spalding Drive (RE-1 to RD-9)

• Staff (Planner II LaQuita Williams) recommended approval with conditions. The five parcels total approximately 7.4 acres in the Protected Neighborhood character area, each with a single-family home built between 1959 and 1970. Applicant The Providence Group of Georgia (attorney Alex Brock of Smith Gambrell Russell) proposes a 21-lot single-family subdivision with an average lot size of 10,910 square feet, homes of 3,500-4,500 square feet, two pocket parks above underground stormwater detention, and one entrance at the signalized Spalding Drive/Pitts Road intersection. The adjacent Spalding Springs and Stratford Manor/Trafford Manor neighborhoods are zoned RD-9 with average lot sizes of 11,000-14,000 square feet.
• Staff conditions: entrance at the Pitts Road and Spalding Drive signalized intersection; the two stormwater facilities along Spalding Drive installed on the ground with the surface developed as usable amenity space; a maximum of 21 homes in the Sandy Springs portion; no more than three additional homes in the Dunwoody portion with access to or from Spalding Drive; average lot size of the 21 lots no less than 10,500 square feet; construction vehicle parking confined to the subject site; and development substantially similar to the site plan.
• The applicant said the plan was revised after community feedback — most notably moving the entrance from across from the Spalding Springs subdivision to the Pitts Road intersection — and agreed to all staff conditions.
• Public comment (four in support; one online opposition card was not present):
  • David Malin (White Hall community) said his community was initially "in great opposition" but found the proposed buffer plan reasonable: five varieties of evergreen trees at alternating heights, with walls, fences, and plantings. He said HOA responsibility for maintenance of perimeter plantings, walls, and trees was key, and that the applicant agreed to it.
  • Rhonda Smith (76 Long Island Place, Sandy Springs Council of Neighborhoods) expressed support with conditions but urged the city to restudy traffic across the entire area, from the five-way intersection in the Roberts Drive/Spalding Drive vicinity back toward Chamblee-Dunwoody Road. She cited GDOT traffic counts up by about 2,000 cars, from over 8,000 to over 10,000, in recent years, and noted Councilmember John Paulson has committed to a post-mortem traffic review one year after completion of the recent Pitts Road project.
  • Melinda Cobb (Spalding Springs neighborhood, directly across Spalding Drive) said the entrance relocation resolved an unsafe blind-left concern and avoided a sewer connection that would have required digging into her neighborhood; the originally cited ~3,000 truckloads of grading material were also expected to be reduced with the rebalanced site. She agreed the area's traffic needs study.
  • Jay McDonnell (7910 Stratford Lane; president, Stratford Manor Property Owners Association) voiced support and asked that the new development's HOA be responsible not only for initial screening plantings but for long-term upkeep and replacement.
• Discussion: Commissioners asked how the HOA buffer maintenance and the sewer connection at Pitts Road would be assured. Staff responded that HOA/common-area responsibility would be established through the platting process and that sewer/water connections would be handled through the land development permit (LDP) process. Providence Group's Mike Smith confirmed the intent to connect water and sewer at the new Pitts Road entrance, but noted Fulton County (sewer) and the City of Atlanta (water) have final jurisdiction. Commissioner Porter asked about the turn lane at the new entrance; staff said such details would be addressed through the permitting process.
• Motion by Commissioner Trylovich, seconded by Commissioner Porter, to approve with staff conditions. The motion passed 3-2, with Commissioners Porter and Leeds dissenting. In later discussion, Commissioner Leeds explained his dissent reflected a view that items promised to the community and relied upon by formerly opposed neighbors (such as the turn lane and HOA maintenance) should be made explicit conditions of the rezoning where legally possible.

Case 2026-0002: RZ-25-7 — 5680 Whitner Drive (RE-2 to RD-27)

• Staff recommended approval with conditions. The 2-acre corner parcel at Whitner Drive and Mount Vernon Highway, part of the Winter Estate neighborhood, contains a 1974 ranch home; the property slopes down approximately 50 feet. Staff noted that all parcels in the area accessed by streets other than Mount Vernon Highway are already zoned RD-27 except the subject parcel. The applicant, Stokely Weinberg (Whitner Green Estates), requests a rezone to RD-27 (27,000-square-foot minimum lot size) to create three lots of roughly 28,000-29,000 square feet.
• Staff conditions: all homes oriented to face Whitner Drive with primary street setbacks parallel to Whitner Drive; all driveways and curb cuts on Whitner Drive, with none on Mount Vernon Highway; and the driveway and curb cut of the home closest to Mount Vernon Highway placed as far from that highway as practicable.
• Public comment (four opposition cards; no support):
  • Ash Joshi (5246 Vernon Springs Trail) asked the Commission to proceed with caution, describing how he left Brookhaven because two-acre lots were carved into one-acre lots "development by development," increasing density and traffic; he warned the case could set a precedent.
  • Lisa Ediger (1095 Vernon Springs Court) opposed the project, saying she was unaware of it until she saw the sign while walking, and that many neighbors were traveling. She recalled a previous Mount Vernon project by builder Stuart Wanhoff to split a two-acre lot so two homes could be built, which was dropped after strong opposition.
  • Betty Lasson (online; 5640 Mount Vernon Highway) opposed the project, citing the traffic the three homes would add at an already busy corner and drainage concerns, because the lowest part of the slope would be closest to her home.
• In rebuttal, Weinberg pointed to the staff report's neighborhood zoning map: the majority of parcels south of Mount Vernon Highway are zoned RD-27, and every parcel accessed by a street other than Mount Vernon is RD-27 except this one.
• Discussion: A commissioner asked about drainage. Weinberg said the 50-foot drop occurs over just under 400 feet, that the project must comply with stormwater management and building ordinances, and that his company always conducts erosion-control monitoring, with inspections after every rainstorm and weekly.
• Motion by Commissioner Clemens, seconded by Commissioner Trylovich; approved unanimously.

Case 2026-0003: RZ-25-8 — 5800 & 0 Mitchell Road NW (RE-1 to RD-18)

• Staff recommended approval with conditions. The two lots total approximately 1.3 acres. The property at 5800 Mitchell Road has a one-story 1970 ranch-style home with a three-car garage and pool, acquired by the current owner in 2025; the rear parcel (0 Mitchell Road) is an unimproved, landlocked lot immediately north, under the same ownership. Properties to the west (fronting Long Island Drive) are zoned RD-18, to the north RD-9, and to the east and south RE-1. The applicant seeks RD-18 (18,000-square-foot minimum) to create two lots of approximately 26,000 and 28,000 square feet, both fronting Mitchell Road.
• Staff conditions: a maximum of two residential lots on the combined tax parcels; and compliance with planned city projects, including dedication of any required right-of-way or easement, with that language included in any plat.
• Applicant Chris Protose (Permittable), representing the property owner, said the modest infill is consistent with the Next 10 plan, provides low-density housing for young working families, and improves aging housing stock; he noted the applicant responded to a neighbor's complaint by clearing the overgrown lot. He said 10 neighbor letters support the application.
• Public comment: Lauren Udwin (5815 Mitchell Road) said the project would greatly increase livability, help increase property values, and provide family housing, and that "the neighborhood is very much in favor."
• No opposition was presented.
• Motion by Commissioner Leeds, seconded by Commissioner Conklin, with staff conditions incorporated at the mover's request; approved unanimously.

Ongoing Business & New Business

• Chair Haggard, responding to the concern that residents were unaware of the Whitner application, confirmed with staff that zoning procedure law requires mailed notices (within 500 feet, per Fulton County), newspaper ads, an 8-foot by 4-foot sign, and website posting. Staff were asked to review enlarging the 3-foot by 3-foot signs used to advertise community meetings, since the larger rezoning sign is posted only for Planning Commission and City Council hearings.
• Commissioner Leeds explained that his negative vote on the Spalding case was not opposition to the project but a view that items promised to the community, which helped convert opponents into supporters, should be made conditions of the rezoning where legally possible. The Chair suggested the reason for the dissents could be reflected in the minutes and recommended that interested residents contact Councilmember John Paulson about the broader area traffic study.
• New Business: Elizabeth Kelly resigned from the Planning Commission, and a replacement appointment is pending; the Commission's retreat was held March 20; Chair Reed Haggard was named to the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee; and the Next 10 comprehensive plan kicked off on April 21. No meeting is expected in May, with the next meeting most likely in July.

Key Outcomes

• Agenda and February 18, 2026 minutes approved unanimously.
• Design Guidelines update received; public comment period open through May 15, 2026; fifth public meeting April 23, 2026, 6:00-8:00 p.m., City Hall main lobby; Planning Commission adoption hearing anticipated one to two months after the comment period closes.
• RZ-25-6 (Spalding Drive): recommended for approval with staff conditions by a 3-2 vote, with Commissioners Porter and Leeds dissenting.
• RZ-25-7 (Whitner Drive): recommended for approval with staff conditions unanimously.
• RZ-25-8 (Mitchell Road): recommended for approval with staff conditions unanimously.
• Staff and the Law Department to review increasing the size of community-meeting notification signs.
• Meeting adjourned by motion of Vice Chair Porter, seconded by Commissioner Trylovich.