In one of Mayor Rusty Paul's previous State of the City addresses, he noted that creating a health and vibrant retail environment, along with affordable housing in the city's north end, is a top priority for city leadership.
In January 2018, the City Council adopted redevelopment of the North End as a priority for the City. The low-density rental housing typical of the 1960s and 1970s, a declining retail environment, and a lack of advancement found in other parts of the city are cited among reasons for the focused attention. A task force was named in March to lead the process. The task force will focus on four sets of activities as part of their vision and planning:
- Citizen engagement: Including sessions with those living in the North End and those living elsewhere in the city to gain insight into both concerns and hopes for redevelopment and how to implement those improvements.
- Work Sessions to assess the North End’s current situation, exploration of different visions of what could be, considerations of obstacles, creating a draft vision and provide the City Council with a set of recommendations.
- Create an organized way of bringing feedback into the task force’s work from landowners and businesses as well as nonprofit organizations involved with workforce housing.
- Providing a written report of the task for findings and recommendations.
North End Revitalization Final Report
North End Revitalization Task Force Appointment Resolution
The Task Force is scheduled to meet on the following dates:
- August 8
- August 22
- October 3
- October 17
- November 1
- November 15
- December 5
December 5, 2018 North End Revitalization Task Force Agenda
October 18, 2018 Public Meeting
The dialogue to plan for the future and share visions and goals for north end redevelopment continued when more than 150 people attended the public meeting on Thursday, October 18 at City Hall.
During the meeting, the consultant presented the draft visions and goals covering education, housing, arts, housing affordability, arts, economic development, transportation, and green infrastructure. Following the presentation, community members participated in an open house to provide feedback and input. This meeting was a follow up to the workshop held this past July.
Meeting Summaries:
August 8, 2018 North End Revitalization Task Force Meeting Summary
Report from July 25, 2018 Public Visioning Meeting
The North End Revitalization Task Force held a public visioning meeting on July 25 at the
Sherwood Event Hall in Sandy Springs’ North End. Approximately 270 citizens attended. In
two hours’ time, they considered two questions about the North End’s future. Working
in 15 circles, they offered 347 ideas and images about what the North End could be and how
to address part of the Task Force’s mission, which is to add new residents to the North End
while making a place for those already living there.
View the report: Public Visioning Meeting Report