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Members hear city report on sites ripe for business By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — The Sandy Springs Development Authority set the stage for more planned development in 2023, targeting areas ripe for projects to boost the local economy. At the Jan. 12 meeting, Sandy Springs Economic Development Manager Caroline Davis gave authority members a recap of what was accomplished by the city in 2022, and what could be expected in the coming year. “You all are sitting in the fruits of what everyone worked on over the past decade,” Davis said. The biggest highlight of the past year, she said, was major updates to the City Springs Master Plan, which led to development of “City Springs Master Plan 2.0,” a guide to development over the next decade. For the City Springs Master Plan update, she said they have focused on large-scale improvements to infrastructure, streetscapes and pedestrian accessibility for everything on Roswell Road, from Allen Road to Cromwell Road. These improvement project recommendations are now in the hands of city staff where Public Works, Community Development and Economic Development departments will research the proposals for presentation to the City Council. Davis said the new master plan identified multiple areas as “priority redevel-
By REBECCA GRAPEVINE Capitol Beat
They have also identified a large block of properties bordered by Mt. Vernon Highway, Hilderbrand Drive, Boylston Drive and Roswell Road as a priority area for redevelopment, she said. “What we’ve seen is that there’s a lot of fractured ownerships, so we will consider potentially bonuses for assemblage
ATLANTA — State employees will get a $2,000 pay raise if Gov. Brian Kemp can get the General Assembly to approve his budget request. Law enforcement officers, school employees, and other state workers all need the raise, Kemp said during an inaugural address Thursday that marked the start of his second term as Georgia’s governor. “If you want to keep good people in jobs critical to the safety and well-being of our children, our communities and our state as a whole, we must be willing to be competitive with state salaries,” Kemp said. Kemp also said he plans to use part of the state’s current record surplus to fund a one-time $1 billion income tax refund for Georgians. He pushed through a similar income tax refund last year. The governor is also recommending the state spend $1.1 billion to provide homeowners with a property-tax relief grant. “We are putting you and your families first because that’s your money, not the government’s,” Kemp said. Kemp plans to request $150 million for grants that school districts can apply for to address pandemic learning loss and security needs.
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The Sandy Springs Development Authority met for the first meeting of 2023 and discussed development priorities identified for the coming year. The finalization of the City Springs Master Plan was highlighted as a big win for the previous year. opment properties” These areas include a city-owned property to the south of the City Hall campus, which they’ve identified as the possible location for a boutique hotel with office and residential space. The city has already received a number of bid applications, and Davis said the project is expected to move forward at the location.
Kemp highlights pay hikes, tax cuts in inaugural speech