Sandy Springs Comprehensive Parks and Recreation System Master Plan

The Challenge

The City of Sandy Springs, Georgia, is the sixth largest city in Georgia and the second largest city in the metropolitan Atlanta area. Its location between in-town Atlanta and the suburbs north of Atlanta makes it an attractive place to live, drawing many families and young adults. As such, the parks and recreation system's amenities are in high demand.

The City of Sandy Springs was already developing an exceptional park system that provided a combination of urban greenspaces, recreation opportunities, and access to wilderness experiences. However, it needed to develop a comprehensive parks and recreation master plan to guide the development of new amenities and the improvement of the facilities it inherited from Fulton County when it was incorporated.

The Solution

Barge Design Solutions partnered with planners from PROS Consulting and the ETC Institute to develop the master plan based on community outreach, park inventories, and comparisons to national standards. Based on community input, the top facility priorities were hiking trails, multi-use trails, dog parks, community gardens, and indoor pools.

The Result

As the City continues to grow, it becomes increasingly important to protect and enhance parklands, connect the parks to other areas, and expand the green space plan in this desirable community.

Barge created a master plan focused on decision-making for maintenance, operation, and capital improvements, the development of a comprehensive trail system, and the acquisition of 52% more green space. This plan will help Sandy Springs maintain its attractiveness as a desirable place to live and spur economic development in quickly urbanizing areas of the City.