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Sandy Springs selected for second Trader Joe’s
HAYDEN SUMLIN/APPEN MEDIA
Elected officials and city staff meet in a conference room at Sandy Springs City Hall May 14 for a second workshop on the 2025 budget. Councilmembers discussed what to do with an $800,000 windfall thanks to state funds for roadway maintenance.
City ranks 2025 capital projects By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
See COUNCIL, Page 13
See TRADER, Page 13
Trader Joe’s at Chastain Market
Ga. 400
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Mayor Rusty Paul swatted down suggestions for city councilmembers to openly discuss recommendations for how to spend an extra $800,000 in the proposed 2025 Sandy Springs capital budget. Paul’s instruction to the council at the May 15 budget workshop was to submit proposals in writing before specifics should be aired at the official budget presentation scheduled for May 21. It was the second of two budget workshops elected leaders have held on the new spending plan. The workshop included results of the capital budget ballot, in which councilmembers ranked a number of capital projects by their priority.
City Manager Eden Freeman said the state expanded its annual funding for road projects, freeing up more than $750,000 the city had earlier allocated for pavement management. Another $50,000 became available from the $100,000 the city had planned to use for a scoping study of the proposed Sandy Springs Police shooting range and simulation house. City officials decided to split funding of the study between the general fund and the Sandy Springs Police Foundation. With the $800,000 now available, councilwomen Melissa Mular and Melody Kelley suggested ideas of their own, including a housing study and a review of small businesses along the Ga. 9 or Roswell Road corridor.
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Sandy Springs residents, especially those south of I-285, can expect a new Trader Joe’s at the Chastain Market sometime in the next year. The Chastain Market, on the Sandy Springs border with the Buckhead community, is home to more than 90,000 square feet of retail and 28,000 square feet of office space near Chastain Park. The new Trader Joe’s will be at 4600 Roswell Road. During a May 9 Sandy Springs Development Authority meeting, members discussed an estoppel certificate, or a document establishing the status of lease terms for a third party. Trader Joe’s will lease space from the property owner, SSP Chastain, LLC. Connolly and Coro Realty acquired the shopping center in 2022 for $40.5 million. City Attorney Dan Lee said the certificate is new to him as an attorney with decades of experience. He said the agreement ensures that the sub-tenant, Trader Joe’s, receives the tax incentives in place for the next two years. Lee also said the tenant has already invested in the site in preparation for Trader Joe’s.
JACOB TOMBERLIN/APPEN MEDIA
A new Trader Joe’s will be housed at 4600 Roswell Road at the Chastain Market. More details about its opening will be released later, a spokeswoman said.