SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul announced he will run for a fourth term in 2025, citing unfinished goals during his Sept. 17 State of the City address.
The mayor’s remarks centered around the city’s multi-use trail network, expansion of its downtown City Springs district and revitalization of older commercial areas of the city around the North End and Perimeter.
“There’s a lot of things that I still think I would like to get done, things that are important to the community,” Paul said. “I will announce today that I’m running for one more term as mayor.”
Paul said it’s a great honor to be elected mayor and his family supports his 2025 run, though it may be his last. During his 2021 campaign, Paul also hinted it may be his last run.
The bulk of Paul’s State of the City address, and one of his reasons for another run, surround Sandy Springs’ downtown district — City Springs.
Since Paul took office more than a decade ago, he has pursued a vision for Sandy Springs, which centers around the creation of a downtown district.
“I think all of you know that I spent four and a half years of my life, with the help of the City Council and staff, building this campus,” he said. “There were a lot of critics when we were doing this, in fact it was named the Taj MaPaul.”
Like any mayoral address in Sandy Springs since November 2013, the speech included witticisms and jokes, which keeps rooms packed when Paul is at the podium.
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Paul said the name upset him at the time, but he thinks it’s worth it if people are still visiting City Springs in 400 years, like travelers to India’s famous mausoleum do today.
In June, the Sandy Springs City Council selected Regent Partners and Morris and Fellows as the city’s preferred development partners for City Springs 2.0.
The city has purchased properties on the south side of Mount Vernon Highway down to Sandy Springs Place, extending from Blue Stone Road to Sandy Springs Circle.
The several contiguous acres of city-owned property to the southwest of Veterans Park and City Springs are chosen for the expansion of Sandy Springs’ downtown and retail market.
But, Paul said things have been slow getting the redevelopment project off the ground.
“I understand the concerns,” he said. “Banks aren’t lending money for commercial real estate, the cost of money is higher, the return on investment is lower, but that doesn’t make me anymore patient.”
Paul said his goal is to step up the pace, but the city is watching the Federal Reserve potential cuts and macroeconomic trends, so it’s ready to act when things loosen up.
“We want to be first out of the gate to be able to get this project going,” he said. “Because this community really deserves more places to go, to eat and to shop.”
The expansion of Sandy Springs’ downtown district accomplishes a few city goals simultaneously: it creates more retail space in a high-demand market, while enhancing the city’s community feel and creating more economic opportunities.
It’s not clear if the city will break ground on the district’s expansion this year, but a June estimate put the completion date in fall 2026.
The mayor served as keynote speaker during the Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber’s Signature Luncheon. Some 150 community members listened in the City Springs Conference Center.
The unified Perimeter Chamber, previously split between Sandy Springs and Dunwoody, has hosted the State of the City for years. Tickets started at $40 and required registration through the chamber.
The crowd included members of the Sandy Springs City Council, several department heads, Fulton County Board of Education members and District 2 Commissioner Bob Ellis.
Mayor Paul touched on several new and existing initiatives in and around City Hall.
Sandy Springs is looking to take a lead with artificial intelligence and bolstering community through the city’s multi-use trail network.
Referencing the Atlanta Beltline, the mayor unveiled his plans to spur economic development along Sandy Springs’ developing multi-use trial network.
The city has made progress on PATH400, trails around Morgan Falls Overlook Park and significant pedestrian improvements along Roswell Road (Ga. 9).
City Councilwoman Melody Kelley has pitched an effort to get sidewalks and paths built in the city’s North End, where thousands of multi-family home residents need them.
With the Sandy Springs Trail Master Plan, there is roadmap for the city’s Springway to rival Atlanta’s Beltline.
City Councilwoman Melissa Mular, with experience as a technology executive for IT service providers like IBM, is leading an artificial intelligence task force with City Manager Eden Freeman.
Paul said he has spoken with leaders locally and nationwide about how to best use artificial intelligence. The 2025 spending plan also budgets for a director of data strategy and analytics within the City Manager’s Office.
“To help Sandy Springs be on the cutting edge of that,” Paul said. “We need to do a little bit better job on permitting, getting [them] through the system, making it easier [and] simplifying the process.”
If artificial intelligence can help remove barriers to small projects and give staff more time for other initiatives, it can be a win-win for the city and its residents, Paul said.
The mayor also addressed the ongoing fight with the City of Atlanta for equitable water services.
In April, Paul said the effort to get a service delivery agreement between the two cities is easier with a new bill from the Georgia General Assembly.
The mayor said City Attorney Dan Lee was meeting with a judge, and he hopes Lee can set up a formal hearing or trial in November.
The bill requires the state Community Affairs Department to issue sanctions if two governments fail to reach an agreement after six months of negotiations.
“We’ve not made a lot of progress, we’ve had a lot of conversations,” Paul said. “I think now the judge has decided we’re going to go forward, which is all we’ve ever asked.”
There are several positive developments surrounding city projects and initiatives, including the new Fleet Center on Roswell Road (Ga. 9), Veterans Park’s completion and the subsequent intersection reconfiguration, Fire Station 5 coming online and nationwide recognitions of the Sandy Springs community.
Paul ended his address to field questions from the community.
Other business community members asked about options for dilapidated parcels around City Springs and the ongoing Mount Vernon Highway and Johnson Ferry Road corridor improvements.
“It should be done at the end of next year,” Paul said. “We’re going to make that area look even better than it did before.”
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