Sandy Springs Crier - April 23, 2026

Sandy Springs purges all police reports from public portal

By CARL APPEN carl@appenmedia.com

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Sandy Springs has taken steps to remove information about public safety from its online resident dashboard.

For years the city has used Police to Citizen, a web tool from software firm CentralSquare, to make accident and police incidents available to the public.

Other agencies across Metro Atlanta use the same platform, including Roswell and Johns Creek.

The portal is designed to allow users to search and access reports online, according to the Sandy Springs Police website. The page flags the tool as its, “Most Popular Service,” for citizens. Until this month, residents could click on incidents to read when and where they happened, along with what

crime category was involved. That option is now disabled.

Today, users see a pop-up that states, “After searching for Reports on this site, you can request a copy of an Incident or Accident Report by using the Open Records Request link on the Home page or by clicking Open Records Request.”

A Sandy Springs Police spokesperson said command staff made the decision.

City lists TSPLOST-funded project proposals

By DYANA BAGBY dyana@appenmedia.com

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Sandy Springs is proposing $129 million in projects to be funded by the Fulton County transportation sales tax revenue if approved by voters this fall.

Topping the list for the city is

construction for the long-awaited Hammond Drive widening project.

The city unveiled in April what projects it plans to fund with dollars from the transportation special purpose local option sales tax, known as TSPLOST. The projects must be submitted to Fulton County by the end of May.

Voters in Sandy Springs

and the rest of Fulton County, except the city of Atlanta, will vote on Nov. 3 whether to extend TSPLOST for a third time. The 0.75 percent, or ¾ of a penny, tax is paid by everyone who shops or dines in the county. It is not a new tax.

See PROJECTS, Page 10

“The change was made to better protect victims and prevent legally protected information from being publicly displayed,” he told Appen Media.

The newspaper has previously reported deficiencies with the portal.

Sandy Springs first removed the option to search and retrieve incident reports in 2023.

See PORTAL, Page 10

Preservation nonprofit announces new director

By DYANA BAGBY dyana@appenmedia.com

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — The Sandy Springs Conservancy announced April 13 that John Maximuk has been named executive director. The nonprofit, founded in 2001 to preserve greenspace and recreational areas, has been without an executive director for five years.

Maximuk has worked as director of the Design, Environment and Construction Division at the city of Decatur and as planning and development director with the city of Chamblee. He has also volunteered with organizations focused on planning and urban design. From 2005 to 2013, he served on the staff of the smart-growth nonprofit Livable Communities Coalition to advance regional smart-growth initiatives. He currently serves as board chair of the Architecture and Design Center.

He has a B.S. in environmental geography from Ohio University and a master’s in regional planning from the University of Massachusetts.

See MAXIMUK, Page 10

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Community Assistance Center reports record-breaking impact

By DYANA BAGBY dyana@appenmedia.com

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — About 11 years ago, Sue Koeneman noticed her teenage children throwing away school supplies – pencils, notebooks – when finished with them. But seated next to them at school were children with no pencils or notebooks.

She looked for a way to help and found out about the Community Assistance Center, a nonprofit with the mission of preventing hunger and homelessness for people in Dunwoody and Sandy Springs.

Founded in 1987 as a small, faithbased food pantry, CAC has grown into one of the larger human services organizations serving the Central Perimeter with the same “neighbors helping neighbors” mission. Its programs include food pantries, a thrift store for clothing, financial assistance, youth programs, adult education, career assistance services and free tax assistance.

“I enjoy giving back in my own community,” Koeneman said standing behind the register at the Canopy Thrift Store during a recent volunteer shift.

“There is almost like a second Sandy Springs, a second Dunwoody, that exist on a different economic plane … that

DRIVEWAYS & CONCRETE

I didn’t know about until I came faceto-face with it … and I wanted to help people in that situation.”

The need for CAC’s services in the suburbs continues to grow.

In 2025, it assisted 4,440 households, including preventing 1,108 evictions — an 8 percent increase over the previous year, according to its annual report released last month.

Nearly 70 percent of those seeking help were first-time clients. Economic pressure is not just impacting tradi-

tionally underserved populations, but middle-class families are also struggling to deal with higher costs for healthcare and housing, CEO Francis K. Horton said in a statement.

“2025 was truly a year of growth for CAC, not for growth’s sake, but in response to rising need in our community,” Horton said. “Increasing economic pressure is impacting our lower-income families but also an increasing number of middle-income earners. The needs are creeping into more and more of our

DRIVEWAYS

community, and we have to scale to meet them.”

Helping more

The report highlights that while the number of households served rose by 4 percent, the total financial assistance distributed increased by 13 percent, reaching $769,416. Six months after receiving aid, 92 percent of clients had secured stable housing, and 68 percent had resolved their immediate financial crisis, according to the report.

Also in 2025, the organization served 9,632 individuals across all its programs, distributed more than 1.1 million pounds of food and supported 1,738 children through youth initiatives.

Its client-choice Mini-Markets — food pantries designed to operate like grocery stores —allow families to select fresh and shelf-stable items based on their needs, helping preserve dignity during times of hardship, CAC officials said.

The growing need reflects broader affordability challenges affecting suburban areas, CAC officials said. Many clients are employed but still struggle due to stagnant wages and rising living costs.

See IMPACT, Page 9

Each line in the puzzle below has three clues and three answers. The last letter in the first answer on each line is the first letter of the second answer, and so on. The connecting letter is outlined, giving you the correct number of letters for each answer (the answers in line 1 are 4, 5 and 5 letters). The clues are numbered 1 through 7, with each number containing 3 clues for the 3 answers on the line. But here’s the catch! The clues are not in order - so the first clue in Line 1 may (or may not) actually be for the second or third answer in that line. Got it? Good luck!

PLAYING AROUND

1. Play participant. Domestic. River feature.

2. Glue. Play venue. Lock name. 3. Smooth-talking. Play items. Large flying machine.

4. Garbage hauler. Jezebel’s idol. Play brighteners.

5. Lioness of film. Eagle’s residence. Play’s line to the audience.

6. Play genre. Biting. Shakespeare’s stream.

7. Chess piece. Stumble. Play necessity.

1 Play participant. Domestic. River feature

2. Glue. Play venue. Lock name

How to Solve: Each line in the puzzle above has three clues and three answers. The last letter in the first answer on each line is the first letter of the second answer, and so on. The connecting letter is outlined, giving you the correct number of letters for each answer (the answers in line 1 are 4, 5 and 5 letters). The clues are numbered 1 through 7, which each number containing 3 clues for the 3 answers on the line. But here’s the catch! The clues are not in order - so the first clue in Line 1 may (or may not) actually be for the second or third answer in that line. Got it? Good luck!

3. Smooth-talking. Play items. Large flying machine

4. Garbage hauler. Jezebel’s idol. Play brighteners.

5. Lioness of film. Eagle’s residence. Play’s line to the audience

6. Play genre. Biting. Shakespeare’s stream 7. Chess piece. Stumble. Play

How to Solve: To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the numbers 1 to 9.

number below the diagonal line is the sum of the white squares in the sequence below it. You may only use the digits 1 to 9, and a digit can only be used once in any sequence.

Cube Against Cancer draws speedcubers

By DEAN HESSE decaturish@appenmedia.com

ROSWELL, Ga. — Solving a Rubik’s Cube challenges most people, but a growing community of puzzlers doesn’t just solve them. They work to solve them as quickly as possible, achieving personal bests while pursuing world records.

The speedcuber community attended the Cube Against Cancer competition in Roswell on Saturday, April 11. More than 100 competitors filled the Gravity Ballroom at the Mimms Museum of Technology and Art. Competitions follow strict World Cube Association rules to ensure fairness. The WCA is the official nonprofit body that organizes speedcubing competitions, sets rules and maintains world records for solving the twisty puzzles.

The competition is supported by Southeast Cubing Inc., the official organization for speedcubing in the Southeast.

The all-ages event was held in collaboration with Ethan’s Ohana, a Missouri City, Texas-based nonprofit established in memory of Ethan Perry. Perry died from cancer in 2021 at age 12. He learned to solve a cube while hospitalized and became obsessed with the hobby. Solving the puzzle brought

him comfort during treatment. At the Cube Against Cancer event, competitors were asked to bring at least one unopened cube or STEM-related toy to donate to a pediatric cancer patient.

The supportive atmosphere was easy to spot. Between rounds, young cubers practiced at tables or tucked into quiet corners, fingers flying over puzzles with the focus of seasoned professionals. Cubing is an inclusive hobby that appeals to all ages and abilities. The goal of each competition is to solve cubes as quickly

as possible. The cubers with the best average solves advance to the next rounds of the competition. While most people are familiar with the traditional 3x3 Rubik’s Cube, the speedcubing community focuses on other puzzles, including the simpler 2x2 and the more complex 6x6. There are other more novel puzzles like clock, where competitors work quickly to adjust the dials on multiple clock faces.

Some cubers move so quickly that the cube’s colors become a kaleidoscopic blur in their fingers. The winner of the threeby-three event, Caleb Chen, recorded a 5.3-second solve.

Silas Skinner, 11, of Marietta, was competing for the first time.

“I’m trying to get faster times and get new records for myself,” he said.

His mother, Melissa, appreciated how well-organized the event was and was glad that Silas got to judge other competitors. Beginners are often expected to learn to judge to help the event run

smoothly.

Shirley Adams was there, cheering on her grandson Levi Adams, 13, capturing every round on video.

“My biggest joy is just watching him have fun — it’s not just all about the cubing, it’s about the interaction,” she said. Adams playfully dubbed herself and her husband the “cubing chauffeurs.”

Austin Currey, 10, has been cubing for two years and said it’s really fun for him. Havish Chittanoori and Karun Rao, both 8, were all smiles between rounds, sitting with their families and a collection of cubes spread out on the table. Both said the event is a fun way to meet and make new friends.

For event organizer Rohan Raj, the appeal is simple.

“Anything cubing is just a great thing. It’s a great community, with great people, so it’s just been a great thing to happen in my life,” he said.

For more information, visit cubeagainstcancer.org.

Reparations panel reports on harm done to Black residents

By DORMIYA VANCE WABE

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Fulton County’s Reparations Task Force has worked since 2023 to research and account for the harms done to Black people who were enslaved there or lived during the Jim Crow era.

The group now has an official “Harm Report,” and one of their findings shows as much as around $900 billion in today’s dollars in stolen labor over a decade of slavery in Fulton.

Dr. Karchiek Sims-Alvarado, a professor of Africana Studies at Morehouse College, was appointed chair of the county-based task force after it was established in 2021.

“We knew that if we were going to be talking about dollars and cents, this research had to be based on quantitative data, and so that’s exactly what we’ve done,” she said.

What does the Harm Report focus on?

“The first year of the harm report study was actually compiling the data … and so during that time period, we were able to bring together about a team of about five individuals in order to help us with the report,” SimsAlvarado said.

“We were able to build new data sets, new tabular data sets that actually allowed us to document the number of individuals that were enslaved in Fulton County, the value tied to their person, as well as who were the profiteers of slavery, meaning who were the slave owners.”

The 615-page Harm Report was backed by county funding totaling $250,000. It features several charts, diagrams and dollar amounts tied to slavery’s ten-year run, 1854-1864, in Fulton.

Research shows the county saw its highest number of enslavers, 761, a year before slavery ended in 1865.

The report then transitions into accounting for harm, like racial terror and lynchings, done to Black residents during Jim Crow as early as the 1870s.

To produce the data, Sims-Alavardo created two theorems, or formulas, as the foundation of the report. Her Dual Lens Hidden Disparities Theorem quantifies inequalities, while her Extraction-Acculation Harm Theorem looks at economic harm experienced by Black residents and their descendants.

“Applying the Extraction-Acculation Harm Theorem … the cost of stolen labor and the failure to grant recompense can range up to nearly $903 billion from Fulton County alone,” Sims-Alvarado said.

Depression, research shows that barely 1% of Black residents owned land in Fulton, but faced twice as high tax burdens compared to their white counterparts.

“From 1867 to 1937, the property value of Blacks was assessed at almost 210% that of whites historically. So their property was over-assessed, doubling the value of whites,” she said.

What did this work cost emotionally?

“I spent two years working on this. I mean, many days and nights working on this sometimes. I was working on it for eight to twelve hours, and not just myself, but other people who were part of this team. It was so emotional.

I had a little moment even when presenting it to the Fulton County Commissioners. I kind of broke down a little bit,” Sims-Alvarado said.

The group suspended public meetings heading into the fall of 2024, which was also the same year the report was initially projected to be released.

However, officials say, the nearly 10-pound, textbook-esque report needed the group’s full attention. They updated the public in 2025 on their progress, saying the research was “mentally, emotionally, and spiritually demanding.”

How did the task force determine what counted as harm?

“These are wrongs committed against Fulton County Residents. So you’re talking about harms where people’s civil rights or civil liberties were violated or deprived of them, or basic human rights. Also, looking at county services, these are things that county residents are supposed to be entitled to, and these are things that were deprived from them,” Sims-Alvarado said.

The report shows that Black residents struggled to access services such as healthcare, public libraries and schools.

Researchers suggest these limitations have had lasting effects on modern times and institutions.

“When you begin to look at the services that fall under the purview of the county, you have voting, the jails, and the courts. You have health clinics, you have property taxes … even the arts fall under the purview of the county as well. But these are the things that affect our daily lives, and historically, for African Americans who resided in Fulton County, they paid for county services that they did not receive, or they received inferior services,” she added.

Segregation also created economic challenges for Black Fulton taxpayers.

One example in the report suggests “Black taxpayers paid into a system that denied them equal access to public services,” citing over $8 million in economic value denied to Black residents

within the library system.

Sims-Alvarado says even as a kid in post-Jim Crow Alabama, she could see the long-term impacts of intentional limitations put on Black people.

“Every day, I saw how Black people were denied the same services as their white counterparts. And even as a child, you could see this. And I often ask myself, why is it that one half of the residents in a community are deprived of resources or have a certain quality of life compared to others?” she said.

What in the Harm Report was specific to Fulton County compared to other places?

“Even though Fulton County only had ten years of slavery, the value of the enslaved was extremely high compared to some of the other 150+ counties, and that is very Fulton County. The taxes collected on the value of Black people as property served as seed money for the county, which allowed for the county and the city of Atlanta to become the commercial epicenter of the American South,” SimsAlvarado said.

The task force chair says that “seed money” ranged up to nearly $4.7 billion in today’s money. The enslaved were legally considered property following the 1857 United States Supreme Court ruling in Dred Scott v. Sanford, stating they were not U.S. citizens and not protected as such.

Fast-forwarding to the Great

The group also faced pushback from elected officials such as Fulton County Commissioner Bridget Thorne, who, on behalf of her constituents, asked, “Why should we be responsible for a crime that we never committed?”

“But I would have to say we’re all grateful that we did this. It’s so rewarding just to be a part of this and to be able to produce this for the world,” she said. “It is a joy, it is a blessing to be able to produce it, but it took a toll on all of us.”

So, what’s next for the Fulton Reparations Task Force?

“So now it’s sharing that information with the public, letting people read it, sit with it, and digest it. Now we have to start making recommendations,” SimsAlvarado said.

The task force was granted a two-year extension towards the end of 2025. The group will move forward to their second report, the Repair Report, which will focus on the possibility of issuing reparations to Black descendants in Fulton.

As of now, the task force will hold a public meeting to debut the Harm Report at the Auburn Avenue Research Library on April 16.

“I believe that if we’re about the business of repair, you’re going to see that reparations have a significant economic benefit to the county and to the nation,” Sims-Alvarado said.

Appen Media partner WABE provided this story.

Importance of skin checks for mature skin

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Fulton County Schools honors standout seniors

By HANNAH YAHNE hannah@appenmedia.com

NORTH FULTON, Ga. — Families celebrated the top academic students for each high school at the Fulton County Schools’ fourth annual Senior Recognition Luncheon April 14 in Sandy Springs.

School Board President Kristin McCabe invited the valedictorians, salutatorians, STAR Seniors and graduating REACH Scholars to revel in their accomplishments during the ceremony at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center.

Students in the Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) program are nominated and must meet several criteria which includes having one of the highest GPA in their class.

REACH Scholars are selected in eighth grade for the opportunity to earn $10,000 for college, given they meet certain criteria throughout their high school graduation.

“You have set the bar high, not only academically, but through your leadership, resilience and character,” McCabe said. “You represent the very best of our district, and we are all incredibly proud of all you have accomplished.”

The Westlake High School String

Ensemble and Riverwood International Charter School’s ROTC opened the ceremony. Musical ensembles accompanied the lunch, courtesy of the Chattahoochee High School Jazz Band and Saxophone Quartet.

Keynote speaker Kiara Lane advised the seniors by sharing her story of majoring in biology until her junior year of college to being named on the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 40 Under 40 list.

“It is college students … that change the world to a better place,” Lane said. “Use your voice even when it shakes, even when it’s not perfect, and even when you’re still figuring it out.”

Milton High School salutatorian Anika Gupta said it was nice to see her hard work pay off academically and philanthropically through her community service with the National Honors Society. Gupta will attend Georgia Tech in the fall.

Amishi Jain, Milton’s valedictorian and STAR Senior, said her ninth grade English teacher taught her perseverance and pushed her toward goals Jain did know she had.

“I did all sorts of different stuff,” Jain said, “and it allowed me to have a more organic experience all throughout my years.”

Jain will attend Columbia University in the fall.

Impact:

Continued from Page 4

Families moved to the suburbs for safety and quality schools only to find themselves unable to afford high living costs, Director of Advancement

George Northrop told Appen Media.

Workforce development

To address some of these challenges, the CAC opened its Empowerment Center in November 2025, a new hub for adult education and workforce development. The center consolidates career services and includes “Thrive,” a program that assists people with childcare, transportation and tuition so they can get work certifications to pursue higher-paying jobs.

“Through our integrated services and programs, we are supporting clients in upskilling and reskilling for today’s job market and pursuing pathways that foster personal and professional growth that can lead to lasting financial independence,” Director of Impact and Innovation Doris Pereira said in a statement. Early outcomes are promising, according to the annual report. Sixty-

five percent of clients who accessed career services in 2025 secured employment. Nearly 80 percent of those who received financial assistance were working within six months, though many still needed additional support to achieve longterm financial stability, the report said.

Community support continues to play a critical role in CAC operations. In 2025, more than 500 volunteers contributed 53,000 hours of service, equivalent to 25 full-time staff members. Donations surged with a 25 percent increase in donors and a 104 percent rise in individual contributions, according to the report.

Faith-based organizations contributed significantly through a new “Congregation of the Month” initiative and collected more than 38,000 pounds of food and raised over $10,000 to support the food programs, the report said.

The nonprofit’s South Sandy Springs branch saw significant growth after outreach to 120 apartment communities increased demand for services by 50 percent late 2025. The location distributed more than 260,000 pounds of food and served 971 families, according to the report.

Legislature requires floating homestead exemption

By ZOE SEILER zoe@appenmedia.com

ATLANTA — Late in the evening on April 2, the Georgia General Assembly passed a bill that caps property assessment increases. The passage of Senate Bill 33 marked a shift from the initial proposal in House Bill 1116 that limited property tax revenue growth.

The final version of SB 33 makes a floating homestead exemption mandatory and allows local governments to implement a floating local-option sales tax or a local homestead-option sales tax to provide property tax relief.

The exemption applies to cities, counties and school districts, and only to residential, homestead properties. It does not apply to commercial, industrial, or other non-homestead properties.

The House advanced HB 1116, known as the Homeownership Opportunity and Market Equalization Act of 2026, around 4:50 p.m. After the House made a change to the bill, it returned to the Senate for further consideration, but it failed there around 11 p.m.

The bill prohibited local governments and school boards from increasing property taxes by more than 3 percent above their rollback millage rate or the rate of inflation, whichever is greater, without a voter referendum or state legislative approval.

Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, R-Rome, said HB 1116 would have eliminated homestead property taxes for cities and counties in 101 counties and reduced them by more than

Projects:

ZOE SEILER/APPEN MEDIA

Georgia Rep. Shaw Blackmon, second from right, talks with House Speaker Jon Burns’ staff and fellow Republican lawmakers following a vote on property tax legislation in the Senate April 2.

50 percent in 55 counties and by one-third in three counties.

HB 1116 failed with a 24-28 vote.

Several Senate Republicans voted against the bill, including Senate Majority Leader Jason Anavitarte, Sens. Bo Hatchett, Randy Robertson and Carden Summers, among others.

About 30 minutes later, Sen. Matt Brass, R-Newnan, introduced an amendment to Senate Bill 33, which regulated hemp products. Senators stripped the bill and inserted property-tax-reform language. This bill does not include a cap on overall property tax revenue; instead, it limits increases in homestead property assessments.

SB 33 passed both chambers and heads

has received roughly $136 million in transportation sales tax revenue since the first TSPLOST.

Hammond Drive project

to the governor for signature.

“We’ve taken out all the hemp language and it’s now the tax bill, the one we just voted on, [HB] 1116,” Brass said. “We took out the levy caps, which limits the increase in budget that kicks in the requirement for a referendum. We took out the taxpayer bill of rights. What we left in were the valuation caps.”

SB 33 passed the Senate along party lines, 32-21.

The legislation builds on HB 581, which passed in 2024, that caps homestead property assessment increases at the rate of inflation. A floating homestead exemption generally offsets or reduces increases in the taxable value of homestead property.

HB 581 allowed cities, counties and

use path on both sides of the thoroughfare from Roswell Road to Boylston Drive and from Barfield Road to Glenridge Drive.

For more political and statewide news, visit georgiapress.com

school districts to opt out of the exemption. Legislators have said that about two-thirds of cities and one-third of school districts opted out of the exemption. SB 33 makes this exemption mandatory.

With this floating homestead exemption in place, local governments could impose a floating homestead option sales tax to provide property tax relief for homeowners. SB 33 also creates the local homestead option sales tax, LHOST.

The LHOST would also help reduce property taxes on primary residences, with municipalities receiving a share of the proceeds. The LHOST would be a one-percent sales tax on fuel, food and alcohol and the proceeds would provide property tax exemptions to homeowners.

The LHOST could be implemented through local referendums starting in 2028. It will replace the current local option sales tax, but does not affect any special-purpose local option sales tax or education specialpurpose local option sales tax.

SB 33 passed the House 97-72 at around 12:50 a.m. on April 3.

“This House makes it about the people,” Rep. Shaw Blackmon, R-Bonaire, said. “We are going to do what’s best for the taxpayer regardless of where that comes from, because it ain’t about me and it ain’t about you [or] any one of us, Mr. Speaker.”

If approved in November, the TSPLOST revenue would fund projects through 2032.

TSPLOST was first passed by voters in 2016, then again in 2021. Sandy Springs

Portal:

Continued from Page 1

Emails between the city’s police records clerks and CentralSquare,

Maximuk:

Continued from Page 1

“John’s background across both community and government roles makes him exceptionally well-suited for this position,” Jack Misiura, board chair of the Sandy Springs

Out of the $129 million TSPLOST proposed project list, the city has budgeted $44.6 million for the long-awaited Hammond Drive widening project. Plans in the coming months include building a multi-

obtained by Appen Media, described the shift as an “upgrade.”

The portal later began showing incidents again, but the attached reports were truncated, listing only barebones information about when and where an incident took place. Following the

Conservancy, said in a news release. “He brings the passion and drive of a community advocate for parks, paths and green space, along with the expertise to collaborate with local government and partners to deliver meaningful, lasting impact for our citizens.”

Maximuk and the board of the Conservancy are focused on

The city also has plans to widen Hammond Drive from two lanes to four with a grassy median. Latest numbers from the city say about 17,500 vehicles travel Hammond Drive daily, leading to heavy congestion and an increase in neighborhood cut-through traffic. The

project would improve “capacity and access for all modes of travel, including automobile, bus, bicycle and walking,” according to the city.

Among other projects, the city is setting aside $16 million for its capital sidewalk program, $6.1 million will go to intersection improvements at Roswell and Morgan Falls roads, and $5 million is budgeted for the bridge repair program. Continued from Page 1

changes earlier this month, even those sparse reports are no longer available.

Appen has also previously reported that the site does not show all incidents that take place.

Two men are in custody following a shooting death that allegedly took place

building on its strong foundation and expanding its impact in more visible ways as it celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, Misiura said.

The organization has helped raise more than $1 million for parks and green space and partnered with the city of Sandy Springs to advance projects including Morgan Falls Overlook Park, Abernathy Greenway,

at a Sandy Springs apartment complex April 14. As of April 16, that reported incident is not listed on the city’s Police2Citizen portal. If residents were relying on the public dashboard for safety information, they would not know the event took place.

Lost Corner Nature Preserve and the first segment of the Springway, he said.

The Conservancy will continue to advance new Springway segments, connect to Path400, and improve safe access to the Chattahoochee River and strengthen connectivity, quality of life and economic value across Sandy Springs, Misiura said.

Early Longview subdivision became part of Huntley Hills

Post World War II development included the construction of the Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac Assembly Plant in Doraville, later known as the General Motors Assembly Plant. The first automobiles were produced and shipped in 1947. This led to a need for better roads in the area and more housing for employees. There was already a housing shortage in the Atlanta area as soldiers returned home following the war.

Soon there were more industries in Chamblee including U.S. Envelope, Boyle Midway, General Electric, Eastman-Kodak and Westinghouse. The population of Chamblee tripled between 1940 and 1960.

In 1949, development in the surrounding area included the extension and paving of Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and plans for Longview subdivision. The initial subdivision plan included over 2,000 homes on both sides of North Peachtree Road, extending into what is now Dunwoody. Ten years went by before construction of homes in Longview began. (“A History of the Longview Development,1958-1962,” by Ellen Rankin)

Longview plats were first filed in 1955 by the Long Corporation, Inc. Early plats included plans for an elementary school and construction of Chamblee Plaza. Revisions to the subdivision plats were made in 1957, 1958 and 1960. The first construction permits were for four houses, issued by the city of Chamblee in 1958.

Prior to Longview, the Long Corporation was known for building Darlington Apartments and the Howell House in Atlanta. The company began in 1914. Earle E. Long was vice president and manager of Long Contracting Company. He built his own home at 3659 Greenhill Drive, living there until 1963. Then, he moved to 3769 Longview Drive before leaving the area permanently when the company no longer planned to complete the development.

Home construction began in 1958 with 35 floorplans and 70 exterior finishes. The first homes of Longview were described as 1,150 square feet, six rooms with a lot size of 100’ by 150’. Prices ranged between $17,000 and $19,975. Long Corporation offered a “no down payment plan” to buyers. (Atlanta Journal, June 30, 1959,

Longview ad)

According to “A History of the Longview Development, “The Longview developer and architect customized plans with specific features, including outdoor living and sunlit areas, adaptions for hilly terrain, sloping lots, corner lots and triangular lots.” The one-level ranch home kept home prices lower yet also showed off the newest appliances and features available. It appealed to young families.

Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, today’s Peachtree Boulevard, was completed in 1958. Another change to the area was the closing of Naval Air Station Atlanta and opening of DeKalbPeachtree Airport. Chamblee Plaza opened in November 1960.

When the construction of the Atlanta Circumferential Highway

(Perimeter I-285) began in 1959, the section of Longview that would be in Dunwoody was separated by the highway. That part of the project was abandoned and sold off.

Edwards Engineering Corporation purchased the remaining property in 1962. They began developing the remaining lots in 1963 and renamed the subdivision Huntley Hills. The entrance was located where Longview Drive meets Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. The sales office was located on Longview across from Chamblee Plaza. (Atlanta Journal, Subdivision Developing as “Total Community,” July 22, 1962)

Huntley Hills was advertised as a “total community,” with a recreation area including a large pool. The 1962 plan included a future school and

church. Homes featured in Huntley Hills were split-levels and modified colonial homes in addition to the ranch style home.

The neighborhood was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 13, 2017, as LongviewHuntley Hills Historic District. The areas of significance are identified as community planning and development architecture.

Thank you to Ellen Rankin for sharing her research on the history of Longview subdivision.

Award-winning author Valerie Biggerstaff is a longtime columnist for Appen Media and the Dunwoody Crier. She lives in Atlanta. You can email Valerie at pasttensega@gmail.com or visit her website at pasttensega.com.

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