AUGUST 3 - 16, 2018 • VOL. 12 — NO. 16
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Around Town
Raising the curtain on a new theater PAGE 13
Residents brainstorm north end redevelopment
City Springs to Life
Special Section pages 6-11
BY EVELYN ANDREWS evelyn@reporternewspapers.net
The Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center at City Springs is ready for its curtain to rise on Aug. 11 with a “City Springs Day” of free short performances followed by a concert by jazz great Branford Marsalis. The Performing Arts Center, which fronts Roswell Road, is the key attraction to the city’s new mixed-use civic center and home to the 1,100-seat Byers Theatre.
OUT & ABOUT Wing it with butterflies at Nature Center fest Page 16
JOHN RUCH
We must work together, as the three partners and allies that we are, in order to find a way to consolidate our win-win-win formula. North America first.
Residents voiced a mix of ideas for north end redevelopment at a July 25 public meeting, varying between wanting more highend retail and dining options and affordable housing and community centers. Over 200 residents packed Sherwood Event Hall, located on northern Roswell Road, to provide input on the north end that is intended to guide the city’s new “North End Revitalization Task Force.” The North End Revitalization Task Force was set up by the city in March. Intended to be focused on practical solutions, the 15-member task force is heavy with developers and financiers, along with some advocates for affordable housing and community-oriented development. The group met for its first official meeting July 11, discussing what they need to do to achieve the goal of attracting upscale retail and residential developments without gentrifying the area. See RESIDENTS on page 30
‘Restaurant row’ joins mix of intersection redesign ideas
JAVIER DÍAZ DE LEÓN, CONSUL GENERAL OF MEXICO IN ATLANTA
BY JOHN RUCH
See Commentary, page 12
johnruch@reporternewspapers.net
► Unwind in the hills: North
Georgia, Blue Ridge getaways
► Mountain towns: shopping, dining and attractions beckon
SPECIAL SECTION | P20-28
Saving a stretch of commercial buildings as a possible “restaurant row” is among the ideas the city is considering for its redesign of the Mount Vernon Highway/Johnson Ferry intersection in advance of a public meeting within about a month. Earlier this year, the city proposed rebuilding the X-shaped intersection as a “grid” of parallel streets. One side effect would be taking some or all of a half-dozen commercial properties along Mount VerSee RESTAURANT on page 14