October 2019 - Sandy Springs Reporter

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reporternewspapers.net

OCTOBER 2019 • VOL. 13 — NO. 10

Sandy Springs Reporter COMMUNITY

Dueling lawsuits filed over City Springs construction P4

COMMENTARY

MASS SHOOTINGS REQUIRE NEW WAYS OF THINKING PAGE 16

Eminent domain settlements cause council concern

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Book festival brings celebrities

BY HANNAH GRECO

P10

hannah@reporternewspapers.net

money likely goes into the coffers of the wrong jurisdiction. That could mean tax revenue is being misdirected not only locally, but statewide. The problem is rooted in ZIP codes, such as Sandy Springs’ 30328, that the United States Postal Service generically labels

The City Council is balking on some settlements for right of way acquisition for city road projects, claiming the costs are too high and calling for a fuller explanation. City Attorney Dan Lee blames the prices on Sandy Springs land costs increasing exponentially. While the city is mainly acquiring strips of land for a long-anticipated streetscape project, there have been two settlements involving entire properties for land-banking purposes. One of those parcels now contains a gravel parking lot for city vehicle parking. The Sandy Springs Circle streetscape project is a $7 million redesign of Sandy Springs Circle between Hammond Drive and Mount Vernon Highway. It will convert four travel lanes to two, plus a turn lane and on-street parking, and add sidewalks and a multiuse path. At a Sept. 3 meeting, the council denied an eminent domain settlement offer for a small piece of land at 6010 Sandy Springs Circle, saying the price is excessive. The $499,750 recommended by staff as a settlement is for 0.146 acres the city would use for the project itself and 0.309 acres the city would temporarily own for

See MORE on page 22

See EMINENT on page 31

Starter opera P24

HANNAH GRECO

The previous site of Randy Beavers’ insurance agency, which the city demolished for its streetscape project and settled an eminent domain lawsuit in August for $862,500, across from the City Springs development. The land now lies unused.

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More major retailers found charging wrong sales taxes BY JOHN RUCH johnruch@reporternewspapers.net

Two more major retailers have been found incorrectly charging Atlanta’s higher sales tax rate within Sandy Springs. And the state Department of Revenue is acknowledging that, barring an audit or formal complaint, such incorrectly calculated sales tax

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PRSRT STD ECRWSS US Postage PAID Monroe, GA Permit #15


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