Design Guidelines

Draft Comment Period ends Friday, May 22.

The City of Sandy Springs is finalizing design guidelines for six primary commercial and mixed-use areas in the city. These guidelines will assist property owners, business owners, developers, designers, City staff, and City leadership in ensuring that future development fulfills the vision of adopted planning documents and the Development Code while fostering a distinct sense of place for Sandy Springs and its commercial areas.

The guidelines build on standards included in the Development Code and Technical Manual by providing additional direction for building features, building sites, landscaping, streetscapes, and other elements that shape the appearance and experience of Sandy Springs’ commercial and mixed-use areas.

Please review the latest draft and provide comments via the links below through Friday, May 22.

Draft Design Guidelines Comment Form — Submit comments on the current draft of the Design Guidelines.
View the Draft Design Guidelines (PDF)
Open House Public Meeting Comment Form — Submit comments based on information presented during the April 23 open house.

Focus Areas

The guidelines address the character of development in six commercial and mixed-use areas of the city:

Greater City Springs
Central Perimeter
North End
Powers Ferry
Neighborhood Village
Crossroads

Map showing the six Sandy Springs commercial and mixed-use focus areas: Greater City Springs, Central Perimeter, North End, Powers Ferry, Neighborhood Village, and Crossroads.

Design Guidelines Process

Following an initial public engagement period in March 2025 to introduce the design guidelines process and define an overall framework, preparation of the guidelines has occurred in two geographically focused stages:

Stage 1 focused on developing guidelines for the North End, Greater City Springs, and Central Perimeter.
Stage 2 focuses on Crossroads, Neighborhood Village, and Powers Ferry.
Draft Design Guidelines Comment Form — Submit comments on the most current draft of the Design Guidelines.
View the Draft Design Guidelines (PDF)
Open House Public Meeting Comment Form — Submit comments based on information presented during the April 23 open house.

Public engagement timeline and outreach materials related to the Sandy Springs Design Guidelines process.

Prior Public Engagement Opportunities

April 23, 2026, Design Guidelines Public Open House

An open house was held on Thursday, April 23, at Sandy Springs City Hall in the Main Lobby.

Progress made in preparing design guidelines for the city’s commercial and mixed-use areas, including area-specific guidance for all of the 6 focus areas: Greater City Springs, North End, and Central Perimeter, Crossroads, Powers Ferry, and Neighborhood Village.

November 20, 2025 Design Guidelines Public Open House

An open house was held on Thursday, November 20, at Sandy Springs City Hall in the Studio Theatre Lobby.

Progress made in preparing design guidelines for the city’s commercial and mixed-use areas, including area-specific guidance for the Stage 1 focus areas: Greater City Springs, North End, and Central Perimeter.
Potential design approaches for the Stage 2 focus areas, including Powers Ferry, Crossroads, and Neighborhood Village, based on feedback received since August 2025.

Friday, October 17 — Pop-ups at The Prado (5570 Roswell Road) from 10:00 a.m. to noon and Chastain Market (4279 Roswell Road) from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Friday, October 24 — Pop-ups at Northwood Park (110 Northwood Drive) from 10:00 a.m. to noon.

Online opportunities were also available to review and provide input on materials presented during the pop-up events.

August 21, 2025 Design Guidelines Public Open House

At the third meeting of the design guidelines process, the public had the opportunity to learn about and provide input on the following topics:

Overall Framework: Review and feedback on the overall structure and framework envisioned for the design guidelines.
Design Approach for Stage 1 Focus Areas: Review and feedback on preliminary design approaches for Greater City Springs, North End, and Central Perimeter.
Potential Design Approaches for Stage 2 Focus Areas: Initial feedback on the desired design character of Powers Ferry, Crossroads, and Neighborhood Village.

August 21 Public Meeting Exhibit Materials (PDF, opens in new tab)

May 19, 2025 Design Guidelines Public Open House

Staff hosted a public meeting on Monday, May 19, along with a series of pop-up meetings in Greater City Springs, Central Perimeter, and the North End. Pop-up meetings were held in May and July. Meeting materials and an online survey were made available to the public.

March 13, 2025 Design Guidelines Public Open House

An open house was held on Thursday, March 13, at Sandy Springs City Hall in the Barfield Conference Room. Meeting materials are available for review below.