Your Questions, Answered!

Welcome! We're Sandy Springs Together (SST), a group of your neighbors working to make sure everyone in our city has a voice and a place to call home.

We believe Sandy Springs is a great community, and we want to keep it that way for everyone!

Here are some common questions about housing in our community:

What's the Deal with Housing in Sandy Springs?

Q: What does "accessible housing" even mean? 

A: Great question! "Accessible housing" (formerly referred to as “affordable housing”) means you're not spending too much of your monthly income on your rent or mortgage. A general rule is that housing is accessible if it costs you no more than 30% (or about one-third) of what you earn. So, if your family earns $4,000 a month, you should be spending around $1,200 or less for your housing to be accessible.

Q: Is it hard to find accessible housing in Sandy Springs? 

A: Yes, for many people, it is. We often call this a "housing crisis." Many of our neighbors are "cost-burdened," which means they have to spend more than 30% of their income on housing to live in our city. In fact, for households earning under $50,000 a year, being cost-burdened is the norm here.

Q: Who does this affect? Is it just a few people? 

A: It affects a lot of different people in our community! It's not just families with very low incomes. It's also:

  • Teachers, nurses, police officers and firefighters – the people who help our city run smoothly.

  • People who work in our local shops and restaurants

  • Young professionals – those recent college grads who want to be close to their jobs and their families. 

  • Young families looking for their first home.

  • Seniors who want to stay in our community.

  • Even middle-income families can find it tough. For example, more than half of renters earning between $50,000 and $75,000 spend over 30% of their income on rent.

Q: Just how expensive is it? 

A: Housing costs have gone up a lot. The median home price is now over $550,000. And average rents have climbed about 30% in the last ten years.

Sandy Springs Together believes: This is a serious challenge, but it's one we can solve if we work together and talk honestly about it.

Why Should We Care About Accessible Housing?

Q: Why is accessible housing important for everyone in Sandy Springs? 

A: Accessible housing isn't just about the people who live in those homes; it helps our whole community thrive!

Here’s how:

  • Better Schools: When families can afford to stay in their homes, kids don't have to switch schools as often. This helps them learn better and makes our great Sandy Springs schools even stronger.

  • Stronger Local Economy: Our local shops, restaurants and services need workers. If workers can afford to live in or near Sandy Springs, businesses can find the staff they need to succeed. This means better services for all of us!

  • Less Traffic (Really!): It might seem surprising, but when people can live closer to where they work, it can actually help reduce traffic because fewer people are making long commutes into the city.

  • A More Vibrant Community: A city with people from all walks of life, with different jobs and backgrounds, is a more interesting and lively place to live. Accessible housing helps keep that mix.

  • Fairness for All: We believe everyone deserves a chance to live in a good community. Accessible housing helps make sure longtime residents aren't pushed out as prices rise, and that Sandy Springs is welcoming to all.

Sandy Springs Together believes: "Housing accessibility is about keeping the soul of Sandy Springs – its people – intact." It’s key to a community where everyone can flourish.

Why Is Housing So Expensive Here?

Q: What makes housing so costly in Sandy Springs? 

A: It's a mix of a few things:

  • Lots of People Want to Live Here, But There Aren't Enough Homes (Supply and Demand): Sandy Springs is a desirable place! But, there hasn't been enough new housing built to keep up with the number of people who want to live and work here.

  • City Rules on Building (Zoning): For a long time, most of the land in Sandy Springs (about 85% of residential land!) has been set aside just for single-family detached houses. This makes it hard to build other types of homes, like apartments, townhomes or condos, which can often be more accessible.

  • Losing Older, More Accessible Apartments: Some of our older apartment buildings, which used to offer more accessible rents, were renovated and converted into remodeled, expensive luxury units. When this happens, we lose good, naturally accessible homes, and people can be forced to move.

  • Past Building Costs: For a while, a city rule from 2016 made it very expensive to build new apartment buildings over three stories tall because it required pricey construction materials. This discouraged new apartments. (Good news: the city has been changing this rule!)

  • We are running out of space: By the time Sandy Springs was incorporated as a city, much of our real estate was already in use. This means that there aren’t large undeveloped areas where we can build brand-new housing units; we have to work with what we have.

Sandy Springs Together believes: The high costs come from high demand, not enough supply (especially of different types of housing), high cost of construction/labor and some city rules that have made it harder to build what we need.

What Is Sandy Springs Doing About It?

Q: Is the City of Sandy Springs working on this? 

A: Yes! And that's good news. For a while, accessible housing wasn't a big topic at City Hall, but thanks to community voices (like yours!), it's now a priority for our city leaders.

Q: What steps has the city taken? 

A: The city has started to take some important actions:

  • Better Apartment Inspections: In 2022, the City Council created a new Apartment Inspection Unit, including full-time Code Enforcement Officers. Now, all apartment communities are inspected every year to make sure they are safe, clean and healthy places to live.

  • Updating City Rules: Officials are looking at and changing some building and zoning rules to require a greater variety of housing options including townhomes.

  • North Springs MARTA Station Project: The city is working with MARTA (our transit system) on a plan to build new housing, including accessible apartments, right next to the North Springs train station. This is called Transit-Oriented Development (TOD).

  • Studying the Needs: The city conducted a big "Housing Needs Assessment" study in 2020. This study confirmed many of the problems SST and residents have been talking about, showing how much accessible housing is needed. In 2025, the city government has prioritized updating this study to prepare for the challenges ahead. 

  • City Leaders are Talking and Listening: Housing was the main topic at the City Council's big planning meeting in early 2025. They discussed how to make sure Sandy Springs has homes for young professionals, families and seniors.

Sandy Springs Together's Role: We support these positive steps! We also keep learning, sharing information with you and encouraging our city leaders to keep up the momentum and take bold action.

What Else Can Be Done? What Are Some Solutions?

Q: Are there other good ideas out there to make housing more accessible? 

A: Definitely! There's no single magic wand, but there are many proven tools and ideas that can help. Here are some that Sandy Springs Together often talks about:

  • "Inclusionary Zoning": This is a policy where new apartment buildings are required to include a certain percentage of homes that are accessible for people with average local incomes. Cities like Atlanta and nearby Brookhaven already do this.

  • More Housing Choices: Allowing a wider variety of home types to be built in more places – like townhomes, duplexes, small "cottage" homes or accessory dwelling units (ADUs, like small apartments over garages or in backyards). This gives people more options at different price points.

  • Bonuses for Developers: The city can offer incentives (like allowing a new building to be a bit taller or have more units) if the developer agrees to include accessible homes in their project.

  • Using Public Land Well: Sometimes, the city or other public groups (like MARTA) own land that could be used to build mixed-income housing, which includes accessible homes. The North Springs MARTA project is a good example!

  • Protecting Existing Accessible Apartments: It's important to keep our current accessible apartments in good shape. This can mean strong code enforcement (like the city's inspection program) and maybe even helping owners make repairs without having to raise rents a lot.

  • Learning from Other Cities: We can look at what's worked in other communities. For example, Minneapolis made news by changing its zoning to allow up to three homes on lots that used to be for single-family homes only.

Sandy Springs Together believes: A mix of these kinds of "balanced growth" strategies can make a real difference. We need to protect the good accessible housing we have AND build new, smart housing for the future.

How Can I Help or Learn More?

Q: This is important! What can I do? 

A: Your voice and actions matter a lot! Here’s how you can get involved:

  • Stay Informed:

  • Speak Up and Share Your Story:

    • Attend public meetings: Go to City Council meetings or city planning workshops. Share your thoughts during public comment times. SST often shares information about these meetings.

    • Join SST events: We hold public forums, listening sessions (like "Sandy Springs Speaks" ) and workshops (like our Renters' Rights Summit ). These are great places to learn and connect.

  • Contact Your Leaders: Let your Sandy Springs Mayor and City Council members know that you support efforts to create more accessible housing. Tell them your ideas!

  • Vote in Local Elections: Electing leaders who understand and care about housing issues is key.

  • Talk to Your Neighbors: Share what you've learned with friends, family and neighbors. When more people understand the issue, we can build more support for solutions.

Q: Does getting involved really make a difference? 

A: Absolutely! Community voices have already helped:

  • The city created the new apartment inspection program because residents spoke up about needing safe, clean housing.

  • Housing affordability is now a top priority for the City Council partly because groups like SST and concerned residents kept raising the issue.

  • When many residents responded to SST's Community Spaces Survey, it showed leaders that people want better housing options.

    Sandy Springs Together believes: "Everyone deserves a voice" in how our city grows. When we all get involved, we can help shape a Sandy Springs where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. Complacency doesn't help, but civic action does.

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Thank you for learning more about housing in Sandy Springs! Together, we can make a difference.